I’m 70 and I’m healthy. I eat a whole food ketogenic diet, for life, I have high LDL, high HDL, and low triglycerides. I won’t take a statin medication unless I have a heart attack. End of discussion.
I have high LDL-p (over 3500), low hdl, high triglycerides after 1 year in keto and 6 months on carnivore. I won’t take a statin either, but I am looking into potential problems causing high cholesterol like my thyroid issues or perhaps something else. I did get a CAC score this morning just to make sure there isn’t a problem with my heart, but it wouldn’t change my low carb approach to diet. I’m still doing high fat carnivore and following Dr Bright’s approach to healing hormones in hopes that correcting my thyroid will improve my lab work.
In the UK and yes was put on statins. 2 yrs later I was taken into hospital because the statins were killing my liver! My joints are ruined, I've developed an autoimmune disorder and become insulin resistant because of the liver damage. My glucose levels increased to diabetic levels and my body was jiggered! My GP told me that diet change would make little difference to my cholesterol number. 2 weeks ago I ran across a video by Robert Lustig and had the eureka moment. The cholesterol number is B.S. and everything that is wrong with me is caused by sugar and starches...(in my case it's starch, I don't really eat refined sugars) Its been 2 weeks, I've drained sugar and starch from my system, I fast 20 hrs a day and my colitis and joint pain have gone! I've dropped 5 kg and feel no hunger! I will never automatically take a pill offered by a Dr again before I've done my own research. Cut out starch/sugar/processed food and fructose...it has changed my life already!!! 54 yr old who felt 80 and now feeling younger every day! 😊
Had a similar experience Doc arbitrarily ordered a drug f me that was in my profile but hadn't taken f a long while Thinking. Without reading the readout, it would help me relax It did the opposite caused severe problems Always read the the read out info t see what side-effects are Dangerous Dangerous drugs affecting us humans Beyond terrible 😮
Oh yes. My cardio put me on statin but the GI wants it out, but the choice is mine. The truth is I never take statin drug except when at 56 the doc put me on a statin drug , 2 pills and my fingers felt as if its bursting. I threw the rest . since then i just let t The doc prescribe it but i really dont take it, i am now 77
I had a heart attack and was given multiple statins. They affected my joints, knees, shoulders and greatly reduced my mobility. I suffered pain in my joints and finally stopped taking Statins against my doctors advice. I have been off Statins for 2 years and am still recovering from the side affects of this horrible drug!
@csabaturjanszki375 I took it for a year but wouldn't recommend it to anyone! I know several people who have also stopped due to severe joint pain and affected mobility.
@@bernhardwaltherit can still mess with your muscles. I got off statins and tried this one and my muscles started doing crazy stuff so I’m gonna get off too
I had to fire my doctors. They put me on three statins with an already low cholesterol and i lost my ability to stand and walk. My muscles just wouldn't work. Finally i stopped taking them and i'm recovering my ability to walk without my doctors. Never again.
I know what you saying. My father was harmed in this way, statins obviously put him on a chair which ultimately was hard to reverse (process was very slow).
Yep, with statins, my legs hurt so bad that I couldn’t sleep. Then I was put on RX drugs for that, which damaged my stomach. I then refused to take statins…10+ yrs later, still have GERD from the stomach damage.
Rhabdomyolysis is a COMMON serious medical condition, muscle wasting, requiring hospitalization, the treatment is usually IV fluids to flush the overdosage of Statins from your body. Males were often the victims of overdosing high milligrams of Statins by physicians when their LDL range is too high. Sadly, most physicians still don’t understand the Statin info has been corrupted by Big Pharma.
Someday, research will show that statins helped create dementia. Sad to read all the comments of drug injury and sad to help my beloved Mom end her journey through suffering hallacious dementia due in big part from very long term statin use.
I'm sending this to my sister who has charge of my father's care as he lies in a rehab. facility dying from Statins. No heart disease, no stroke but crazy edema from what "they cannot figure out". Weak muscles & broken wrist from a fall. Please pray for him, his initials are C.A.M.
The major reason why 1 in 2 American adults has "high" cholesterol is because they've lowered the "normal" level so much that almost no one has normal cholesterol. Total Cholesterol, before Statins, used to be 240 - 280mg/dl
I was on statins for a year after a heart attack,I ached all over and lost my short term memory, my memory has improved but my back is still painful,stopped taking them about 3yrs ago avoid statins at all costs
He is one of the doctors that I listened to during Covid and one of the reasons I decided to try a low carb diet. Now I’m high fat carnivore and I’ve lost nearly 100 pounds. So I do owe Dr Dhand some credit for his work!
Got a call from my doc today. My cholesterol was high, she stepped over the what you can do before taking a statin to lower my cholesterol and went straight to taking a statin. I told her I would work on lowering it myself. She told me to eat a plant based diet. Not doing that, I got it down 2 years ago being a carnivore, going back to that diet.
I had to actually tell my pcp that I want a CAC TEST and a carotid scan. She told me “do you want to die young if you don’t take this statin?” It’s pathetic that a patient has to do their own research. Why didn’t my doctor order me tests before putting me on a statin? I think it’s all about the money and they are pill pushers!
LDL’s are also oxidized and glycated. The receptor protein APOB100, is the “key” on the LDL, which allows the LDL’s to return to the liver after unloading their resources, becomes denatured. It’s these oxidized/glycated LDL’s that become problematic. The problem/cause isn’t fixed by reducing the number of LDL’s exposed to oxidation/glycation the solution is to reduce oxidation and glycation. Oxidation via smoking alcohol and especially seed oils, and Glycation via carbohydrates. Non glycated/oxidized LDL’s are recycled back to the liver. Damaged LDL’s are not recognised by the liver and remain in circulation to be mopped up by macrophages. If a corrupted key card doesn’t allow guests to enter their hotel room the solution isn’t to reduce the number of guests. The cause of hallways being congested with unhappy guests is the denatured cards. Fix the problem, to maintain a healthy balance sheet for the hotel, the customers are not the problem, they are affected by the problem. The side effects of reducing the customers is bankruptcy.
It’s refreshing to know there are Dr’s like Dr Westman who really want to help there patients not just prescribe drugs you have to take the rest of your life.
I love this: ""Good food is medicine; Bad food requires medicine". Or as someone else spelled it out: "You should choose what you eat so that your food is your medication; or else medication will become your food".
I was prescribed a statin, and 3 months later I had type 2 diabetes. My blood sugar went down 11 points after just 3 weeks on an almost carnivore diet. I will never take a statin again.
I'm working toward carnivore. Doing 100 carbs, then 50, then 25, than carnivore. I was on the Meditarranean diet, supposedly the healthiest diet in the world and best to lose weight. I gained 10 lbs. and was so sick, I could barely get out of bed. Carbs will kill you!
Oh my, I was so thinking that you were going to disagree with Dr Dhand (I don't know why). I was very relieved when I started listening to you. Dr Dhand is a breath of fresh air and a fighter for people's health rather than a pusher of pills. In the future we will look back with horror at how people were treated for some preventable illnesses.
@@daveb8449not 0% good. The pleiotropic effects Dr Westman mention include reducing inflammation which is good. But there are other ways to get that reduction that doesn't have side effects. They also help to stabilize or calcify plaque in arteries.
I’m 45, been on Carnivore for almost 4 months now, and have lost 52 Lbs. A month and a half ago, I had a bunch of blood work done, and had some remarkable results, my inflammatory markers were way down, I completely reversed fatty liver that I’ve had for almost 20 years, my Ha1c went from 6.4 to 5.2 and my estrogen levels went from very low to optimal. The only thing my doctor was concerned about was that my LDL went up a bit, but with all the research I’ve done and videos like this, I’ve been more confident that I’m on the right path. Thank you for your content, Dr. Westman.
Been ketovore/carnivore 2.5 years. I'm down 85lbs & my health also improved greatly. Wish I had tried this 15 years ago. Best wishes to you for continued good health.
Thank you very much for addressing this, Dr. Westman. It is the Statin that gave me diabetes. PLEASE would you address those of us who have FH and how this all fits in. It made no sense to me to have diabetes as well as high LDL, so I stopped the statin after decades, but I still have the worry about the high LDL. So far, I am managing to lower carbs and ditched two oral diabetes meds as well and my blood glucose is slowly starting to come down but always higher in the morning on waking. My BP is also improving but goes up in the doc's office. There are very few doctors left that I trust, so I feel like I'm on my own with this. From Manitoba, Canada and turned 68 last month.
have you seen all Dr David Diamond's videos, he has FH very very interesting. He talks about clotting factors being more important he is not on statins himself, and yes if you are female, statins raise your diabetes risk. Do watch his videos...
Dr Nadir says Statins cross the blood brain barrier. The Brain makes its own cholesterol. Cholesterol from the food you eat and Cholesterol made in the liver, does NOT cross the blood brain barrier. The Brain doesn't need the statin!
My dad has dementia and his cardiologist prescribed a statin. The statin was causing pain in his neck and his hand. A day after stopping taking the statin, the pain was gone. It's fortunate there was pain, otherwise he might still be on them and his dementia would likely be getting worse. Oh, and his total cholesterol was only around 210 anyway, so really no reason to get worried about cholesterol.
70 YO male. In the last year (12 months keto) lost 70 lbs. Waist from 44 to 36. Trigs from 300+ to 76 BP 118/58. Fasting glucose 89. LP-IR score 25. HOMA-IR 1.3. HDL from 30s to 56. BMI from 33 to 25. BUT..... LDL from 90 to 211 and total C from 180 to 294. (was on a statin but stopped a year ago) LDL Pattern A via NMR test. Lots of big fluffy LDLs floating around. Am I healthy or about to die? Guess what my doc says.
I say you are definitely on the right track. It has been MY track for several years. I refused to take statins 12 years ago and am glad I did so because cholesterol is NOT a problem.
@@Mrs.TJTaylor I thought my GP was going to have kittens when she told me you know I want you on a statin and you are at a high risk of heart disease, even with a CCTA (with contrast) score of zero at 66 years old. She is using the TC/HDL ratio which is high because of high LDL whereas I use the Trig/HDL ratio which is good because my trigs went down and my HDL went up. Note though, that it was the cardiologist who recommended the statin in the first place when I went back to get the scan results, and he is Head of Cardiology in a major hospital and has a huge concern about the obesity epidemic; he even told me that he was pleased that I had changed to low carb and had lost a lot of weight.
Dr. Dhand is a treasure. I love his common sense approach and courage to push back against bot-doctoring and the medical-pharma-big food complex. His truth-telling on topics like this and Covid has gotten him in trouble with freedom-restrictors which we should look at as a badge of honor these days.
There are other reasons why many people nowadays have high cholesterol. In order to enlarge the market, the idea "the lower the better" was introduced and the limits were lowered several times. When there was a new medication that could lower cholesterol even further, this was made the new target.
I've heard that it was found many years ago that it was good to have high HDL and they tried to create a drug to increase HDL but they didn't manage to do it so they then targeted the LDL.
There are doctors that are on social media saying that you should have LDL under 60. Considering that I looked at the science and merely asked the question how much LDL do you need in order to build muscle, I find several studies were the low LDL group could not build any muscle, despite eating the same foods as the high LDL group they gain no lean muscle mass versus 5 lb in the high LDL group they gained 30% more strength despite 120% in the high LDL group. Would you even want to live longer if you're a fall away from dying in the next 6 months and have to spend 10 grand a month on a facility where people take care of you while being surrounded by people with dementia? I work with geriatrics I make under 30 grand a year by the time I'm 80 the minimum rent at these places is going to be 15k to 30,000 a month. Actually that's incredibly conservative compounding annually at 5% using an interest rate calculator in 40 years before I even hit 80 years old that's going to be 36,000 a month from $5,000. Everyone better hope it doesn't go up 9% a year on average because that's 157,000 a month. If it goes up 1% it's not horrible it's only 7,000 a month. Inconsidering a $800 apartment in the ghettos would be somewhere between $5, 000 and 25,000 a month, depending on a 5 or 9% increase year-over-year... So there's no way an assisted living facility is going to stay at the rate of 1.3% a year that it used to be. America is going to collapse long before that though. We've reached the tipping point. We are crossing it soon. Once rent in the ghettos in government subsidized housing hits three digits a month at that point 5% inflation is still $50 a month which is $600 a year increase, which is like half the minimum wage of just increase going by federal numbers and I live in an area that goes by federal numbers. The idea that people should be limiting their muscle growth cholesterol carrying lipids is so absurd. That's the problem with being a specialist in a field true intelligence is seeing a wider picture. If you can't see the bigger picture you're going to be trying to save some fancy curtains while your house burns down and you're not going to escape the fire.
My doctor has really given me a hard time about my cholesterol. I relented and tried statins but suffer so much joint pain that within a week of taking a statin I'm effectively crippled. Unable to use my hands or walk comfortably. My doctor actually said to me if you don't get your cholesterol down you're going to die. I'm 74 and have eaten a very low carb diet for 30 years now. I'm still active, my weight where I want it. My triglycerides are very low and hdl fairly high. My ldl got up to 196 so I tried taking a niacin supplement. It quickly dropped my ldl down to 138 at my last blood work. I recently had a heart scan that came back negative for blockages. Lately I've run across a couple of studies that suggest after the age of 65 the higher the ldl the lower your mortality rate is. So now I'm concerned that lowering my ldl may be a mistake healthwise for me.
Thanks for this video. My doctor said my LDL is high, and I asked him "Is it fluffy LDL or small LDL?" He said it didn't matter and wanted to put me on statins. I refused. I'm eating low carb now and am heading toward carnivore. I'm curious to see what eating no carbs does for my body.
After getting yelled at by my (former) doctor for my refusal to listen to him about LDL and statins I have decided to avoid doctors unless I need stitches.
I am at that same point! I've changed doctors twice since the one I loved left because of her husband's job. I thought this one would be great, but he is insulting if you don't want to do what he wants you to do. He never touches me. I feel like he's just a referral service, not a real doctor.
Oh my goodness did you explain this right this is so true. This doctor explained it right putting a Band-Aid on everything not getting to the source of the problem.
Male, age 71. Recently had a major heart attack requiring 2 stents. They put me immediately on Lipitor 80mg when my LDL was 131 Trig 112 HDL 46. I haven’t shared this with my cardiologist but on my research on Statins I have pill cut my 80mg Lipitor to 40mg. The reason my preliminary numbers in a Lipid Panel showed my LDL well below 100. Upon further research my plan is to stop Statins all together. I’m focusing my efforts on my metabolic health.
From my research after a heart attack statins do help. Sorry I can't site the research. But I think it was Peter Attia or Prev Med. Statins do take down inflammation. I would stay with the 40 dose.
During my 10 year journey through the world of Coronary Artery Disease, I have been evaluated by multiple cardiologists. NOT one of those "heart experts" have even come close to practicing "shared decision making"!
People need to get on the keto diet or even the Carnivore diet! I got my blood work reading this past Tuesday and my doctor used the words, “ I am amazed at how you lowered all your readings and how you have improved on everything “! This made me feel so happy and it’s due to the carnivore diet!
So here’s my question, how the hell does someone find a doctor that is thinking in this way without having to go through a trial and error with each one.
It may be one has to go to a doctor that isn't in managed care ie an HMO or a PPO or the like! The average person doesn't have the $$ for this! Oh well?
Unless you are in an accident, who needs a doctor? Eat healthy and let your body look after itself. Their are herbal remedies that your immune system will appreciate to help it do its job. I came off heart pills and other drugs (slowly) prescribed by my gp and I've never been healthier, im 62. One more thing..our brains are made 95% of cholesterol, taking statins to reduce cholesterol...serious cognitive decline is a real problem too, not just the physical issues it causes. 🙏
Look up Dr Ovadia…he is a rockstar in this area and you can become a patient without going to his office. Since my husband‘s heart attack, we have been doing a lot of research online, and we found these wonderful doctors who Go along with getting to the root of problems.
He’s right I took a statin for 10 or 15 years and ended up having another heart attack. The statins didn’t do crap but give me muscle aches and pains plus brain fog when I quit them and got on a ketogenic diet I got healthy lost weight. I feel healthier than I’ve ever been.
Dr. Westman, thank you so much for making me feel so much better for refusing to take Crestor (a statin) for my LDL "problem". I saw my doctor yesterday, as a followup on testing results completed the previous week. Although she was very surprised but pleased at my numbers on everything, she strongly insists on me taking Crestor. 90 days ago, I began carnivore and have stayed true with no "cheating". I have lost 23 lbs. so far. Comparing all my latest numbers since my last blood/urine labs three months ago: my numbers for diabetes dropped 5.9 from 7.0 Total cholesterol : dropped 193 from 196 Triglycerides: dropped 93 from 129 HDL: dropped 44 from 56 VLDL: dropped 17 from 23 LDL: rose 132 from 117 (this is where she is freaking out). Total Agatston Calcium scoring from test taken 10/13/23 is 284 (a 75% rank for my age and sex). No history of stroke or heart problems; I am 76. . Doctor has also reduced thyroid Rx in half from .150 mg to .88 mg. I had begun taking 3 drops of iodine/iodide daily at the beginning of my diet. ALL of my numbers of the remaining lab results have dropped also. All is this success has been, because of absolutely NO CARBS in any form. I am encouraged to continue with my High Fat/No Carb program. I am actually looking forward to seeing her again in three months and prove to myself and to her that I do not need as much or any Rx and that the first line of defense is to get the weight off and health will follow. I have followed your channel for several years now and wanted you to know how much I have learned from your calm and professional demeanor. Thank you again. Grandma from Texas
My understanding is that in so far as statins work, it is because they reduce the tendency to develop blood clots, and also reduce inflammation, not because they reduce LDL. So lifestyle changes that reduce both those factors will be more effective at reducing risk than a statin
Thank You for this video. I didn't know you had done this. But he was trained in the UK and occasionally visits bacj there but he practices here in the USA.
Oh my! Dr Westman, last July 2023 my A1c was 8.8.. 7 months later on strict Ketogenic diet and moderate exercise (walking 3 miles per day), my A1c is 5.5! Stopped metformin and tossed out my statin. Am still maintaining a normal A1c and the neuropathy in my feet has subsided.
If LDL particles, with their amazing cholesterol "cargo," are FIREFIFIGHTERS during the atherosclerosis "fire," why would anyone, ESPECIALLY cardiologists, want to lower LDL-C. Why would you want to wipe out the FIREFIGHTERS who are on their way to dampen the inflammation at the artery lining and assist in the repair of the damaged coronary endothelium? 👩🚒👨🚒🧑🚒👨🚒🧑🚒🧑🚒🧑🚒🧑🚒🧑🚒
Please consider for future posting the legal aspect of refusing a statin rx. IE; "Thank you doctor, I've done my own research based on the postings of several physicians and for now I am refusing this rx. I am happy to sign a legal release for any legal complication that would redound to you. Thank you again, when can I schedule another appointment in the future, I value your efforts on my behalf."
Should be the other way round. If the doc tries to put you on a medication, have him sign that it is absolutely necessary and that he will take full responsibility if the med is harming you. Including monetary compensation for any harm caused.
I think if you eat sensibly, have a varied diet, take moderate exercise according to your age you should be ok.Well I hope so. I know of many relatives who made it to their late eighties with the same regime and the main thing I do recall is them taking more and more meds following doctors orders which itself became an issue; one med causing a problem leading to yet another to counteract. We all die of something and I want to be meds free for as long as possible.
My GP here in the UK has been trying to get me on statins since my husband died in 2017. Every time, I tell him, "No". I've read the research: for women of my age-group, the risk of getting type II diabetes whilst on statins is highly increased whilst the 'benefits' are negligible, and I've put my type II diabetes into remission on my own through a keto/carnivore diet since 2019, yet the doctor persists. He really must need that revenue for his clinic! The more patients they can get onto statins, the more money they get. It's the same for most drugs/treatments. I find it disgusting that, even here, profit outweighs what's really best for patients.
I had been on pravastatin for about 2yrs . I took a friend to her endocrinologist who had talked about statins so I did some research. Two common side effects were diabetes and liver enzymes elevated, both of which showed up on my recent blood test. I stopped the medication a month ago and will see my doctor next month. Have also noticed muscle weakness for the past couple of months. May also be a side effect but will see how things progress. No more cholesterol medicine for me.
I just stopped my statin after having some issues, and also stopped Praluent. I had a heart attack a year ago, and was put on these. I just decided, against my dr. that I cannot tolerate these, and I have to be the one to chose what I can live (or die) with. I'm following Dr. Westman's phase 1 keto adapt your life diet right now. Have lowered my a1c and blood pressure. Dropped one of my blood pressure meds and this is the way I'm going to go. I'm so tired of their drugs and how they've made me feel. Hopefully will regain the muscle strength that I've lost and feel some life again soon. I'm also off of the small amount of fast acting insulin I was taking with meals.
How can I approach my primary care physician about nattokinease? She nixed my trying the keto diet, said vegan diets were unsustainable, no chromium pilynicotinate - she doesn't even want me taking garlic capsules. She's constantly pushing metformin and statins, which so far I've declined. I asked about side effects of metformin, she pivots to the many benefits of treating prediabetes. I asked if statins create a greater risk of diabetes, she denies this is true, any side effects would far outweigh the possible risks of high LDL levels, but doesn't talk about adverse side effects of statins. Sad.
As a nurse and 80 yrs young, I decide what I want to put in my body! I tell my PCP what I 'm doing, to keep him informed and he's agreeable. Am also an advocate for friends who aren't satisfied with their doctor. They can always file a complaint to the medical board. We know our bodies better than the doctors. I also do therapeutic touch healing and reflexology on myself when needed to stay healthy. Better than medication.
My lipid levels have always been within normal limits, however, I am a type 2 diabetic. My doctor thinks I should be on lipitor, which I disagree. My problem is I'm addicted to sweets, so I need a different approach rather than more drugs, A life- style change- stop the sweets plus more exercise.
Ok, so I'm 73, zero cardiac issues, diabetes, and generally have enjoyed a lifetime of good health. My chol jumped to 225 in 2018 (but HDL=68, LDL=140, trigs=never above 70). I eat what I want (with moderation) but def fit into the standard western diet mode. Post statin, chol now in 160's and the HDL's about the same, LDL's around 80. Have I really "improved" health wise from the statin or really prevented a coronary event in which I have had a lifetime of low risk?
I was on statins. For like a year ? Caused muscle aches so I stopped taking them. I eliminated pepsi and stopped cheese bread for over a year. Only eat cheese ocassionally now . Homemade mostly I make using vinegar to curdle the nonhomoginized milk I use instead of rennet. I have not ate any kind of meat in 50 years. My cholesterol did go less after eliminating the cheese and bread. I do eat corn tortillas
I think it is important to remember that LDL is NOT cholesterol, that elevated LDL is NOT a disease that should be treated, that in the human body there never is only ONE cause for some phenomenon, or only ONE effect from a drug. Elevated LDL numbers ('high' is a subjective value statement) can be caused by many circumstances. For instance, when you ingest no or low carbohydrates the body will have very little glucose to burn so it will start burning fat from your fat stores. This fat must be delivered to your cells via (V)LDL. Thus your LDL numbers will be elevated, in the context of a perfectly functioning and healthy body. Yet your doctor - who has no clue about diet and physiology - will freak out and prescribe a statin. Said statin will throw a spanner in the works by cutting off your CoQ10 synthesis, to name one bad side effect. The beneficial effect of 'cholesterol' lowering drugs in patients with previous CVD manifestations has most probably nothing to do with lowering LDL but more with their somewhat anti inflammatory side effect. There are many aspects and nuances to this topic which in my opinion both Dr. Dhand and Dr. Westman fail to point out.
@@AnneMB955 I understand and agree. I greatly appreciate everything Dr. Westman does. But most viewers don't watch everything so I think it is important to be careful with the terminology and point out that there is much more to it than can be covered in one short podcast. I know they can't possibly give all the info in one podcast, but they should not cut too many corners in what they can put in one episode.
It's folly to think the doctors even know the normal LDL values of their patients, when the last few meals, the amount of fasting before the measurement, exercise, stress, etc. affect the value, quite radically even. (edit: heck, just the timing of you last coffee can affect your measurement)
I’ve been on a carnivore diet for several months and my results couldn’t be any better. Mental and physical changes have been astounding to say the least. Every time me and my sister, who is a nurse, talk about my diet she brings up cholesterol and insists it can’t be good long term to eat so much red meat. It always puts doubt in my head even though I’ve read up on this issue a lot.
Cholesterol? Why can we not use the proper terminology such as lipoproteins (VLDL, LDL, IDL, HDL, Chylomicrons), Apo(B,C,E) receptors, Triglycerides, esterified-cholesterol, etc. The Lipid numbers come from the the cholesterol in the lipoproteins (that is why it is listed as LDL-cholesterol). We blame the LDL for doing it's job, as the person kills themselves eating and drinking junk!
1. Drug companies have decreased the so-call acceptable levels of cholesterol, in order to push their drugs onto the market. 2. Blood cholesterol calculation by Laboratories only do an estimate. They do not calculate the whole calculation. And only look at "total cholesterol in the blood rather than "LDL" levels. Doctors are not fixing the main cause i.e. poor diet, sedentary lifestyle.
I’ve just had a “mild” heart attack few days ago. I’m otherwise very fit, eating whole foods and exercising every day. I’m as I type, wanting for docs to do final round and discharge me. They are trying hard to put me on Statins to lower my very high LDL, but vids like this have me telling them “nope!” Here’s my question: if one has had a heart attack, are these auto-prescribed meds a must? Side effect sound awful. I’ve never taken meds (I’ll be doing the blood thinners because they put stents in) before, and I’m not ok with starting now. I’m 65. Thanks for any input. ❤
Ich hatte vor fast 2 Jahren einen sehr schweren Herzinfarkt mit viel Glück überlebt. Die Medikamente die ich danach bekommen habe, haben mir überhaupt nicht gut getan. Ich habe schon immer niedrigen Blutdruck. Der sollte unter 100 gesenkt werden mit Metropolol und dann noch mit Ramipril. Die Statine haben ganz schlimme Bauchschmerzen verursacht. Der Magen und Dünndarm bis zur Milz und Speiseröhre waren betroffen. Derzeit nehme ich nur noch Ass und Pentalong. Dazu mache ich täglich 30 Minuten Crosstrainer. Ich habe noch 1 Stenose die aber kompliziert zu beheben ist. Ich bin jetzt 63.
What effect does menopsuse have on LDL? Mine is high 214, and HDL is 66. My doctor is convinced I'm in danger of heart attack or stroke. She insists I use a statin, but i am reluctant to do so. She has never ordered an Advanced Lipid Test to guide her decisions.
My cardiologist told me in his words - If you don't that a statin I can't keep you from dying - so i asked him, if I take a statin I won't die - he had no reply
My cardiologist put me in a statin because of a weak heart. I'm reading all I can for an upcoming appointment. I've read several places, and even Dr Oz popped up, that the problem is if a plaque Ruptures causing a HA or stroke. What do you think about that angle??
Had my last check up in July 24. All of a sudden, I had borderline high cholesterol and 6.0 pre-diabetic. I was started on .5mg Rosuvastatin and given a DASH diet. At 76 years old, I work my little ranch and do more work accidently than most people do on purpose. I was used to eating anything I wanted. I started a KETO Vore diet dumping the DASH, Carbs, Sugar and Statin. I'll see what happens on the next 6 month checkup. After listening to Doc Westman, I expect the LGL and triglycerides to be high but everything else to be good.
I had that pressure from my doctor to take statins , even though I am thin , strong , eat well , low blood pressure and using HRT. She I used the Mayo Clinic site I had 97% chance of never having a problem . But … the pressure is so intense because drs are evaluated by the meds they prescribe that it is in my file now that I refused to take the drug , but she offered 😡 thank you Dr EW🙏🏻
"Asked to go on a medication," my ass. My doctor bullied me onto Statins. It made me furious, I fired my doctor, and I canceled ALL of my prescriptions. I fell a week ago, I do that frequently anymore, and injured my right ribcage. It is causing me a fair amount of pain, but I refuse to go to the hospital! No more insurance money for the AMA or any of their stooges!
Please at least go to urgent care and see if you have broken ribs. My friend was stubborn, did not go to get x-rays when he fell, and a cracked rib broke in two and punctured his lung. He almost died.
Loved the last 5 mins. Keep em short. I’m not seeking a medical degree only what makes sense while balancing where I spend my time. Thank you so much Doc. Ps. I do both try and eat keto ish healthy. And use statins to keep numbers where I want them. Blessings!
When I asked what can I do instead of taking a statin. I'm told I need to stop eating so many eggs and red meat 😮😢 And I need to eat more fruit and vegetables 😩
I was prescribed statins and was on them a month. All of a sudden I developed petickia, bleedind under my skin. We tried a different type of statin and got the same thing. I stopped taking them and all of my problems disappered.
I'm in UK and recently had a 6.9 cholesterol reading of which 1 was good cholesterol and straight away was put on statins . I was put on statins over a year ago but after week stopped bcuz of aching joints. I'm on another statin now and been advised to take it at night. It's 7:46 better but I have still got a nagging doubt whether I need it
They put my wife and brother on Statins in the UK without offering any kind of dietary advice/modifications first. They carry on eating unhealthy and think its ok as the statins normalise their blood cholesterol and their GP is happy with this. I've given up telling them they will die at an earlier age if they carry on.
Almost no medicine should be taken in perpetuity, but it's very common for people to reach for any pill than make even the tiniest of changes. Of course, the lifestyle change doctors sometimes advice is without actual guidance, and often difficult to follow.
*I had very high blood sugar I only managed to improve my health when I found a WONDERFUL treatment,❤❤ if you want to know about it, I left the video in the comment reply*
Been watching Dr. Dhand for a while now. Am starting to trust his viewpoints. Was wondering too if our cholesterol reading is high, it’s for a good reason. Repairing the body, so this should not be lowered with statins or Oreos. 😉 Really like the way you, Dr. Westman, add your thoughts too. Double the benefits. 👏
It's the same "treatment" to get rid of T2 diabetes and balance cholesterol, No or Low carbs/sugar. Statins reduce the good ldl's, not the damaging small ldl's. And the side effects from statins are not worth the 1% chance of not having a heart attack, imo. My dad has unfortunately been on statins for years and has ALL the side effects. Muscle weakness, fatigue, depression, anxiety, memory loss, t2 diabetes, low testosterone, neuropathy, joint pain, etc. And is having to take other meds to help with the symptoms from the side effects. He's miserable, and all for what? A possibility he might live a week longer? But, he's 80 and doesn't want to eliminate carbs from his diet, he's getting a bit of enjoyment from his sandwich for lunch, some cheese and crackers before dinner and a couple cookies after. So Dr's refuse to take him off the statins. It's a vicious circle, one I'll never get on, even if my cholesterol became an issue, I'd refuse a statin since I've seen the negative effects with my dad, and others.
I thought when the increasing profits were mentioned that they would also mention the dropping upper LDL trigger point that has gone from 130, to 100, to 70 and now down to 55 mg/dL over that the las several decades. Where are the studies that back up these reductions? Are they only pharma financial analyses?
I’m 70 and I’m healthy. I eat a whole food ketogenic diet, for life, I have high LDL, high HDL, and low triglycerides. I won’t take a statin medication unless I have a heart attack. End of discussion.
Same except I will never take a cholesterol lowering drug.
@myriamCordy
Me too .
I have high LDL-p (over 3500), low hdl, high triglycerides after 1 year in keto and 6 months on carnivore. I won’t take a statin either, but I am looking into potential problems causing high cholesterol like my thyroid issues or perhaps something else. I did get a CAC score this morning just to make sure there isn’t a problem with my heart, but it wouldn’t change my low carb approach to diet. I’m still doing high fat carnivore and following Dr Bright’s approach to healing hormones in hopes that correcting my thyroid will improve my lab work.
@@tb54321 350 or 3500?
In the UK and yes was put on statins. 2 yrs later I was taken into hospital because the statins were killing my liver! My joints are ruined, I've developed an autoimmune disorder and become insulin resistant because of the liver damage. My glucose levels increased to diabetic levels and my body was jiggered! My GP told me that diet change would make little difference to my cholesterol number. 2 weeks ago I ran across a video by Robert Lustig and had the eureka moment. The cholesterol number is B.S. and everything that is wrong with me is caused by sugar and starches...(in my case it's starch, I don't really eat refined sugars) Its been 2 weeks, I've drained sugar and starch from my system, I fast 20 hrs a day and my colitis and joint pain have gone! I've dropped 5 kg and feel no hunger! I will never automatically take a pill offered by a Dr again before I've done my own research. Cut out starch/sugar/processed food and fructose...it has changed my life already!!! 54 yr old who felt 80 and now feeling younger every day! 😊
I'm so sorry you went through this. I am always telling people to do their homework, don't just take any pill your Dr. shoves down your throat.
Had a similar experience
Doc arbitrarily ordered a drug f me that was in my profile but hadn't taken f a long while
Thinking. Without reading the readout, it would help me relax
It did the opposite caused severe problems
Always read the the read out info t see what side-effects are
Dangerous Dangerous drugs affecting us humans
Beyond terrible 😮
Oh yes. My cardio put me on statin but the GI wants it out, but the choice is mine. The truth is I never take statin drug except when at 56 the doc put me on a statin drug , 2 pills and my fingers felt as if its bursting. I threw the rest . since then i just let t
The doc prescribe it but i really dont take it, i am now 77
I agree cause more harm then good
🙏👏👏👏👏👏
I had a heart attack and was given multiple statins. They affected my joints, knees, shoulders and greatly reduced my mobility. I suffered pain in my joints and finally stopped taking Statins against my doctors advice. I have been off Statins for 2 years and am still recovering from the side affects of this horrible drug!
How long did you take it?
@csabaturjanszki375 I took it for a year but wouldn't recommend it to anyone! I know several people who have also stopped due to severe joint pain and affected mobility.
How is your cholesterol panel?
Hello, did you try ezetemide instead of statin ?
@@bernhardwaltherit can still mess with your muscles. I got off statins and tried this one and my muscles started doing crazy stuff so I’m gonna get off too
I had to fire my doctors. They put me on three statins with an already low cholesterol and i lost my ability to stand and walk. My muscles just wouldn't work. Finally i stopped taking them and i'm recovering my ability to walk without my doctors. Never again.
I know what you saying. My father was harmed in this way, statins obviously put him on a chair which ultimately was hard to reverse (process was very slow).
Yep, with statins, my legs hurt so bad that I couldn’t sleep. Then I was put on RX drugs for that, which damaged my stomach. I then refused to take statins…10+ yrs later, still have GERD from the stomach damage.
AMEN
Rhabdomyolysis is a COMMON serious medical condition, muscle wasting, requiring hospitalization, the treatment is usually IV fluids to flush the overdosage of Statins from your body. Males were often the victims of overdosing high milligrams of Statins by physicians when their LDL range is too high. Sadly, most physicians still don’t understand the Statin info has been corrupted by Big Pharma.
Someday, research will show that statins helped create dementia.
Sad to read all the comments of drug injury and sad to help my beloved Mom end her journey through suffering hallacious dementia due in big part from very long term statin use.
The words "TREATING" & "CHOLESTEROL" do not belong in the same sentence. The world of lies we live in is beyond insane
Agreed.
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻✅✅✅
If you have inflamation and a history of heart disease then cholesterol matters.
You ain't kidding brother once you start digging the hole just goes deeper and deeper and deeper
@@dr.emilschaffhausen4683 No. The inflammation matters, not the cholesterol.
I'm sending this to my sister who has charge of my father's care as he lies in a rehab. facility dying from Statins. No heart disease, no stroke but crazy edema from what "they cannot figure out". Weak muscles & broken wrist from a fall. Please pray for him, his initials are C.A.M.
The statins probably wrecked the poor man's kidneys!!
@@noracoyle4988you think it ruins kidneys??😮
The major reason why 1 in 2 American adults has "high" cholesterol is because they've lowered the "normal" level so much that almost no one has normal cholesterol. Total Cholesterol, before Statins, used to be 240 - 280mg/dl
Great point and very
true!
Statin should be banned! BANNED !
I was looking for this comment. 100%
This is true. The best way to get rid of "high cholesterol" is raise the guidelines back up to where they need to be.
Similar to oil changes, it used to be every 7500 miles, now its 3000 miles. It’s all about $$$
blaming LDL for atherosclerosis is like blaming skin for skin cancer. Just because its there doesnt mean it caused it.
I was on statins for a year after a heart attack,I ached all over and lost my short term memory, my memory has improved but my back is still painful,stopped taking them about 3yrs ago avoid statins at all costs
He actually lives in the US. Love Dr. Dhand!
He is one of the doctors that I listened to during Covid and one of the reasons I decided to try a low carb diet. Now I’m high fat carnivore and I’ve lost nearly 100 pounds. So I do owe Dr Dhand some credit for his work!
Lives and practices in USA but qualified in UK.
Me too
That's right. Grew up and was educated in the UK but practising and living in the US.
He’s a health champion! Love him!❤
Got a call from my doc today. My cholesterol was high, she stepped over the what you can do before taking a statin to lower my cholesterol and went straight to taking a statin. I told her I would work on lowering it myself. She told me to eat a plant based diet. Not doing that, I got it down 2 years ago being a carnivore, going back to that diet.
I had to actually tell my pcp that I want a CAC TEST and a carotid scan. She told me “do you want to die young if you don’t take this statin?” It’s pathetic that a patient has to do their own research. Why didn’t my doctor order me tests before putting me on a statin? I think it’s all about the money and they are pill pushers!
They get kickbacks on percriptions they write
Fire your doctor. Find a new one
Yup
LDL’s are also oxidized and glycated.
The receptor protein APOB100, is the “key” on the LDL, which allows the LDL’s to return to the liver after unloading their resources, becomes denatured.
It’s these oxidized/glycated LDL’s that become problematic.
The problem/cause isn’t fixed by reducing the number of LDL’s exposed to oxidation/glycation the solution is to reduce oxidation and glycation. Oxidation via smoking alcohol and especially seed oils, and Glycation via carbohydrates. Non glycated/oxidized LDL’s are recycled back to the liver. Damaged LDL’s are not recognised by the liver and remain in circulation to be mopped up by macrophages. If a corrupted key card doesn’t allow guests to enter their hotel room the solution isn’t to reduce the number of guests.
The cause of hallways being congested with unhappy guests is the denatured cards. Fix the problem, to maintain a healthy balance sheet for the hotel, the customers are not the problem, they are affected by the problem. The side effects of reducing the customers is bankruptcy.
And it’s a cheap test-they probably don’t get a kickback for those!
It’s refreshing to know there are Dr’s like Dr Westman who really want to help there patients not just prescribe drugs you have to take the rest of your life.
I totally agree!
I love this: ""Good food is medicine; Bad food requires medicine".
Or as someone else spelled it out: "You should choose what you eat so that your food is your medication; or else medication will become your food".
I was prescribed a statin, and 3 months later I had type 2 diabetes. My blood sugar went down 11 points after just 3 weeks on an almost carnivore diet. I will never take a statin again.
I'm working toward carnivore. Doing 100 carbs, then 50, then 25, than carnivore. I was on the Meditarranean diet, supposedly the healthiest diet in the world and best to lose weight. I gained 10 lbs. and was so sick, I could barely get out of bed. Carbs will kill you!
The same happened to me! I became pre diabetic after using statins! Now they want to push diabetic pills on me!
Maybe you was a diabetic to start with and didn't know it
Oh my, I was so thinking that you were going to disagree with Dr Dhand (I don't know why). I was very relieved when I started listening to you. Dr Dhand is a breath of fresh air and a fighter for people's health rather than a pusher of pills. In the future we will look back with horror at how people were treated for some preventable illnesses.
There is a huge difference between relative risk and actual risk! They lie about statins!!
Marketing is 90% lying and 10% having a good product.
@@makaisenki And in this case, there is zero % good about statins.
@@daveb8449not 0% good. The pleiotropic effects Dr Westman mention include reducing inflammation which is good. But there are other ways to get that reduction that doesn't have side effects. They also help to stabilize or calcify plaque in arteries.
@@makaisenkiA good product sells itself.
Exactly. If you uncover the layers, it really is a poorly veiled slight of hand.
Blaming cholesterol for heart disease is like blaming cars for drunk driving accidents.
High cholesterol can save u from a heart attack
Perfect!
Truth
Thanks for providing a balanced analysis from the perspective of a real practising doctor!
I’m 45, been on Carnivore for almost 4 months now, and have lost 52 Lbs. A month and a half ago, I had a bunch of blood work done, and had some remarkable results, my inflammatory markers were way down, I completely reversed fatty liver that I’ve had for almost 20 years, my Ha1c went from 6.4 to 5.2 and my estrogen levels went from very low to optimal. The only thing my doctor was concerned about was that my LDL went up a bit, but with all the research I’ve done and videos like this, I’ve been more confident that I’m on the right path. Thank you for your content, Dr. Westman.
Been ketovore/carnivore 2.5 years. I'm down 85lbs & my health also improved greatly. Wish I had tried this 15 years ago. Best wishes to you for continued good health.
@@lindaa2437 thank you! Congratulations on your results!
@@alliward6040 Thank you!
Thank you very much for addressing this, Dr. Westman. It is the Statin that gave me diabetes. PLEASE would you address those of us who have FH and how this all fits in. It made no sense to me to have diabetes as well as high LDL, so I stopped the statin after decades, but I still have the worry about the high LDL. So far, I am managing to lower carbs and ditched two oral diabetes meds as well and my blood glucose is slowly starting to come down but always higher in the morning on waking. My BP is also improving but goes up in the doc's office. There are very few doctors left that I trust, so I feel like I'm on my own with this. From Manitoba, Canada and turned 68 last month.
Glukos is always high, then normal in the morning, because the liver makes glukos for you to wake up in the morning and give you energy.
Statins do pose a significant risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Me too, do not trust many doctors. They don’t seem up-to-date with latest knowledge. Quick to send us off for tests and prescribe.
have you seen all Dr David Diamond's videos, he has FH very very interesting. He talks about clotting factors being more important he is not on statins himself, and yes if you are female, statins raise your diabetes risk. Do watch his videos...
@@Petunia-fl9lu Thanks very much, I have not seen his videos. 🙂
Keep your ldl and keep your brain. Lipitor killed my mom's brain. She lived her last 6 years in full-blown dementia. I'm angry!
Same thing happened to my mom. I am not falling into that trap.
Dr Nadir says Statins cross the blood brain barrier. The Brain makes its own cholesterol. Cholesterol from the food you eat and Cholesterol made in the liver, does NOT cross the blood brain barrier. The Brain doesn't need the statin!
I don’t blame your anger. Not sure what meds my mother was given but she slowly declined until she couldn’t feed herself.
My dad has dementia and his cardiologist prescribed a statin. The statin was causing pain in his neck and his hand. A day after stopping taking the statin, the pain was gone. It's fortunate there was pain, otherwise he might still be on them and his dementia would likely be getting worse. Oh, and his total cholesterol was only around 210 anyway, so really no reason to get worried about cholesterol.
@@scottdanielson4816 I hope your dad is doing well!
Another Dr. Westman video, happy days!
70 YO male. In the last year (12 months keto) lost 70 lbs. Waist from 44 to 36. Trigs from 300+ to 76 BP 118/58. Fasting glucose 89. LP-IR score 25. HOMA-IR 1.3. HDL from 30s to 56. BMI from 33 to 25. BUT..... LDL from 90 to 211 and total C from 180 to 294. (was on a statin but stopped a year ago)
LDL Pattern A via NMR test. Lots of big fluffy LDLs floating around.
Am I healthy or about to die? Guess what my doc says.
Laughing. Your doc says the same about you as my doc says about me.we’re giving our doctors heart issues. :)
Congrats to you increasing metabolic health! 😊
My cholesterol is even higher, total 650, LDL 360! I live 😅
I say you are definitely on the right track. It has been MY track for several years. I refused to take statins 12 years ago and am glad I did so because cholesterol is NOT a problem.
@@Mrs.TJTaylor I thought my GP was going to have kittens when she told me you know I want you on a statin and you are at a high risk of heart disease, even with a CCTA (with contrast) score of zero at 66 years old. She is using the TC/HDL ratio which is high because of high LDL whereas I use the Trig/HDL ratio which is good because my trigs went down and my HDL went up. Note though, that it was the cardiologist who recommended the statin in the first place when I went back to get the scan results, and he is Head of Cardiology in a major hospital and has a huge concern about the obesity epidemic; he even told me that he was pleased that I had changed to low carb and had lost a lot of weight.
Your good health is deadly! 😂
Dr. Dhand is a treasure. I love his common sense approach and courage to push back against bot-doctoring and the medical-pharma-big food complex. His truth-telling on topics like this and Covid has gotten him in trouble with freedom-restrictors which we should look at as a badge of honor these days.
There are other reasons why many people nowadays have high cholesterol. In order to enlarge the market, the idea "the lower the better" was introduced and the limits were lowered several times. When there was a new medication that could lower cholesterol even further, this was made the new target.
And that’s totally slimy.
I've heard that it was found many years ago that it was good to have high HDL and they tried to create a drug to increase HDL but they didn't manage to do it so they then targeted the LDL.
There are doctors that are on social media saying that you should have LDL under 60.
Considering that I looked at the science and merely asked the question how much LDL do you need in order to build muscle, I find several studies were the low LDL group could not build any muscle, despite eating the same foods as the high LDL group they gain no lean muscle mass versus 5 lb in the high LDL group they gained 30% more strength despite 120% in the high LDL group.
Would you even want to live longer if you're a fall away from dying in the next 6 months and have to spend 10 grand a month on a facility where people take care of you while being surrounded by people with dementia?
I work with geriatrics I make under 30 grand a year by the time I'm 80 the minimum rent at these places is going to be 15k to 30,000 a month.
Actually that's incredibly conservative compounding annually at 5% using an interest rate calculator in 40 years before I even hit 80 years old that's going to be 36,000 a month from $5,000.
Everyone better hope it doesn't go up 9% a year on average because that's 157,000 a month.
If it goes up 1% it's not horrible it's only 7,000 a month. Inconsidering a $800 apartment in the ghettos would be somewhere between $5, 000 and 25,000 a month, depending on a 5 or 9% increase year-over-year...
So there's no way an assisted living facility is going to stay at the rate of 1.3% a year that it used to be.
America is going to collapse long before that though. We've reached the tipping point. We are crossing it soon. Once rent in the ghettos in government subsidized housing hits three digits a month at that point 5% inflation is still $50 a month which is $600 a year increase, which is like half the minimum wage of just increase going by federal numbers and I live in an area that goes by federal numbers.
The idea that people should be limiting their muscle growth cholesterol carrying lipids is so absurd.
That's the problem with being a specialist in a field true intelligence is seeing a wider picture. If you can't see the bigger picture you're going to be trying to save some fancy curtains while your house burns down and you're not going to escape the fire.
@@makaisenki I'm preferring quality of life over quantity.
@@jobrown8146Best part about that is if you focus on quality you get both.
Please show me any data (not from drug companies) that cholesterol is bad?
Lol, unfortunately to doctors such data does not excits 😊
Amen mate. Carnivore here and have regular arguments with my GP.
My doctor has really given me a hard time about my cholesterol. I relented and tried statins but suffer so much joint pain that within a week of taking a statin I'm effectively crippled. Unable to use my hands or walk comfortably. My doctor actually said to me if you don't get your cholesterol down you're going to die. I'm 74 and have eaten a very low carb diet for 30 years now. I'm still active, my weight where I want it. My triglycerides are very low and hdl fairly high. My ldl got up to 196 so I tried taking a niacin supplement. It quickly dropped my ldl down to 138 at my last blood work. I recently had a heart scan that came back negative for blockages. Lately I've run across a couple of studies that suggest after the age of 65 the higher the ldl the lower your mortality rate is. So now I'm concerned that lowering my ldl may be a mistake healthwise for me.
😥Yes, it was.
Wow! Something to seriously think about. Thank you for sharing
Time to shake the dust from your feet and leave the doctor in the rearview mirror.
Totally agree with what doctors do- simple blood tests, then looking at numbers, then prescriptions😢😢
I refuse to take drugs🙏🙏🦋
Thanks for this video. My doctor said my LDL is high, and I asked him "Is it fluffy LDL or small LDL?" He said it didn't matter and wanted to put me on statins. I refused. I'm eating low carb now and am heading toward carnivore. I'm curious to see what eating no carbs does for my body.
After getting yelled at by my (former) doctor for my refusal to listen to him about LDL and statins I have decided to avoid doctors unless I need stitches.
I am at that same point! I've changed doctors twice since the one I loved left because of her husband's job. I thought this one would be great, but he is insulting if you don't want to do what he wants you to do. He never touches me. I feel like he's just a referral service, not a real doctor.
I stay aware of my cholesterol numbers but I don't obsess over them. I think cholesterol is overrated for most people.
Oh my goodness did you explain this right this is so true. This doctor explained it right putting a Band-Aid on everything not getting to the source of the problem.
Male, age 71. Recently had a major heart attack requiring 2 stents. They put me immediately on Lipitor 80mg when my LDL was 131 Trig 112 HDL 46.
I haven’t shared this with my cardiologist but on my research on Statins I have pill cut my 80mg Lipitor to 40mg. The reason my preliminary numbers in a Lipid Panel showed my LDL well below 100.
Upon further research my plan is to stop Statins all together. I’m focusing my efforts on my metabolic health.
From my research after a heart attack statins do help. Sorry I can't site the research. But I think it was Peter Attia or Prev Med. Statins do take down inflammation. I would stay with the 40 dose.
@@jeffreehealingwaters8169Attila comes across as a closed minded narcissist to me.
You should stop all statins immediately.
Carnivore diet.
Your numbers aren’t bad. Why such a high dose?
During my 10 year journey through the world of Coronary Artery Disease, I have been evaluated by multiple cardiologists. NOT one of those "heart experts" have even come close to practicing "shared decision making"!
People need to get on the keto diet or even the Carnivore diet!
I got my blood work reading this past Tuesday and my doctor used the words, “ I am amazed at how you lowered all your readings and how you have improved on everything “! This made me feel so happy and it’s due to the carnivore diet!
Well done
Keto...can't just eat meat...🤢
So here’s my question, how the hell does someone find a doctor that is thinking in this way without having to go through a trial and error with each one.
Yes, true, how do we find him or one in our area?
It may be one has to go to a doctor that isn't in managed care ie an HMO or a PPO or the like! The average person doesn't have the $$ for this! Oh well?
Unless you are in an accident, who needs a doctor? Eat healthy and let your body look after itself. Their are herbal remedies that your immune system will appreciate to help it do its job. I came off heart pills and other drugs (slowly) prescribed by my gp and I've never been healthier, im 62. One more thing..our brains are made 95% of cholesterol, taking statins to reduce cholesterol...serious cognitive decline is a real problem too, not just the physical issues it causes. 🙏
Look up Dr Ovadia…he is a rockstar in this area and you can become a patient without going to his office. Since my husband‘s heart attack, we have been doing a lot of research online, and we found these wonderful doctors who Go along with getting to the root of problems.
He’s right I took a statin for 10 or 15 years and ended up having another heart attack. The statins didn’t do crap but give me muscle aches and pains plus brain fog when I quit them and got on a ketogenic diet I got healthy lost weight. I feel healthier than I’ve ever been.
Dr. Westman, thank you so much for making me feel so much better for refusing to take Crestor (a statin) for my LDL "problem". I saw my doctor yesterday, as a followup on testing results completed the previous week. Although she was very surprised but pleased at my numbers on everything, she strongly insists on me taking Crestor. 90 days ago, I began carnivore and have stayed true with no "cheating". I have lost 23 lbs. so far. Comparing all my latest numbers since my last blood/urine labs three months ago:
my numbers for diabetes dropped 5.9 from 7.0
Total cholesterol : dropped 193 from 196
Triglycerides: dropped 93 from 129
HDL: dropped 44 from 56
VLDL: dropped 17 from 23
LDL: rose 132 from 117 (this is where she is freaking out).
Total Agatston Calcium scoring from test taken 10/13/23 is 284 (a 75% rank for my age and sex). No history of stroke or heart problems; I am 76. .
Doctor has also reduced thyroid Rx in half from .150 mg to .88 mg. I had begun taking 3 drops of iodine/iodide daily at the beginning of my diet. ALL of my numbers of the remaining lab results have dropped also. All is this success has been, because of absolutely NO CARBS in any form.
I am encouraged to continue with my High Fat/No Carb program. I am actually looking forward to seeing her again in three months and prove to myself and to her that I do not need as much or any Rx and that the first line of defense is to get the weight off and health will follow. I have followed your channel for several years now and wanted you to know how much I have learned from your calm and professional demeanor. Thank you again. Grandma from Texas
My understanding is that in so far as statins work, it is because they reduce the tendency to develop blood clots, and also reduce inflammation, not because they reduce LDL. So lifestyle changes that reduce both those factors will be more effective at reducing risk than a statin
You need to do a simple Google search. Statins are cholesterol lowering drugs that block the body's ability to make cholesterol.
Statins also disrupt LDL production in the liver.
It's true, but statins elevate the risk of ICH and other negatives.
@@Cyberrjey001 what is ICH?
@@chrisminifie219 intracranial hemorrhage, brain bleeding. (Worse than normal stroke).
Thank You for this video. I didn't know you had done this. But he was trained in the UK and occasionally visits bacj there but he practices here in the USA.
Oh my! Dr Westman, last July 2023 my A1c was 8.8.. 7 months later on strict Ketogenic diet and moderate exercise (walking 3 miles per day), my A1c is 5.5! Stopped metformin and tossed out my statin. Am still maintaining a normal A1c and the neuropathy in my feet has subsided.
I recently had an angiogram and the results were that my arteries were clear, but was still told to take a statin!
Thank you for this Dr. Westman. You and Dr Dhand are both amazing.
Oh, I just found this Dr on here and I really like him.
Excellent reaction Dr Westman.
If LDL particles, with their amazing cholesterol "cargo," are FIREFIFIGHTERS during the atherosclerosis "fire," why would anyone, ESPECIALLY cardiologists, want to lower LDL-C. Why would you want to wipe out the FIREFIGHTERS who are on their way to dampen the inflammation at the artery lining and assist in the repair of the damaged coronary endothelium? 👩🚒👨🚒🧑🚒👨🚒🧑🚒🧑🚒🧑🚒🧑🚒🧑🚒
That’s my thought too. Why aren’t doctors up-to-date with this knowledge?
And if there are no fires then there are likely many more Firefighters on standby! xx
Because their science is based on big data of associations and bad conclusions overall from all "authorities".
Thank you Dr Westman for this video! Dr Dhand is from the UK but lives and practices in the US.
Please consider for future posting the legal aspect of refusing a statin rx. IE; "Thank you doctor, I've done my own research based on the postings of several physicians and for now I am refusing this rx. I am happy to sign a legal release for any legal complication that would redound to you. Thank you again, when can I schedule another appointment in the future, I value your efforts on my behalf."
I think it's time to find a new doc if they are pushing statins.
if it's a best practice, all docs would be required to recommend it right?. Seems like there's liability involved.
HURRAH !!!
Should be the other way round. If the doc tries to put you on a medication, have him sign that it is absolutely necessary and that he will take full responsibility if the med is harming you. Including monetary compensation for any harm caused.
Me ,too
I think if you eat sensibly, have a varied diet, take moderate exercise according to your age you should be ok.Well I hope so. I know of many relatives who made it to their late eighties with the same regime and the main thing I do recall is them taking more and more meds following doctors orders which itself became an issue; one med causing a problem leading to yet another to counteract. We all die of something and I want to be meds free for as long as possible.
My GP here in the UK has been trying to get me on statins since my husband died in 2017. Every time, I tell him, "No". I've read the research: for women of my age-group, the risk of getting type II diabetes whilst on statins is highly increased whilst the 'benefits' are negligible, and I've put my type II diabetes into remission on my own through a keto/carnivore diet since 2019, yet the doctor persists. He really must need that revenue for his clinic! The more patients they can get onto statins, the more money they get. It's the same for most drugs/treatments. I find it disgusting that, even here, profit outweighs what's really best for patients.
Love his outlook! Love his passion… love his truth 🎉❤
Should we treat cholesterol? It’s not a disease.
Exactly!😊
🎯
Being an insulin-dependent diabetic, this video is an eye-opener ! 💟
It is always a good day when I get a notification that Dr Westman has posted a video😊
I had been on pravastatin for about 2yrs . I took a friend to her endocrinologist who had talked about statins so I did some research. Two common side effects were diabetes and liver enzymes elevated, both of which showed up on my recent blood test. I stopped the medication a month ago and will see my doctor next month. Have also noticed muscle weakness for the past couple of months. May also be a side effect but will see how things progress. No more cholesterol medicine for me.
I just stopped my statin after having some issues, and also stopped Praluent. I had a heart attack a year ago, and was put on these. I just decided, against my dr. that I cannot tolerate these, and I have to be the one to chose what I can live (or die) with. I'm following Dr. Westman's phase 1 keto adapt your life diet right now. Have lowered my a1c and blood pressure. Dropped one of my blood pressure meds and this is the way I'm going to go. I'm so tired of their drugs and how they've made me feel. Hopefully will regain the muscle strength that I've lost and feel some life again soon. I'm also off of the small amount of fast acting insulin I was taking with meals.
I'd think that you need to listen to your own body. If taking statin makes you feel worse, stop it right away! 😊
Stop statin and have a heart attack or stroke?
@@simeonapajarillo6499 Taking statin guarantee you not to have those?
How can I approach my primary care physician about nattokinease? She nixed my trying the keto diet, said vegan diets were unsustainable, no chromium pilynicotinate - she doesn't even want me taking garlic capsules. She's constantly pushing metformin and statins, which so far I've declined. I asked about side effects of metformin, she pivots to the many benefits of treating prediabetes. I asked if statins create a greater risk of diabetes, she denies this is true, any side effects would far outweigh the possible risks of high LDL levels, but doesn't talk about adverse side effects of statins. Sad.
Fire her
As a nurse and 80 yrs young, I decide what I want to put in my body! I tell my PCP what I 'm doing, to keep him informed and he's agreeable. Am also an advocate for friends who aren't satisfied with their doctor. They can always file a complaint to the medical board. We know our bodies better than the doctors. I also do therapeutic touch healing and reflexology on myself when needed to stay healthy. Better than medication.
How do i find a doctor that is not a pill pusher .ive had a hart attack and a bypass. 12 years ago.
All that matters is the size of the particles. The quality of the cholesterol trumps the quantity of it.
Thank you! Keep spreading the truth!!
My lipid levels have always been within normal limits, however, I am a type 2 diabetic. My doctor thinks I should be on lipitor, which I disagree. My problem is I'm addicted to sweets, so I need a different approach rather than more drugs, A life- style change- stop the sweets plus more exercise.
Ok, so I'm 73, zero cardiac issues, diabetes, and generally have enjoyed a lifetime of good health. My chol jumped to 225 in 2018 (but HDL=68, LDL=140, trigs=never above 70). I eat what I want (with moderation) but def fit into the standard western diet mode. Post statin, chol now in 160's and the HDL's about the same, LDL's around 80. Have I really "improved" health wise from the statin or really prevented a coronary event in which I have had a lifetime of low risk?
Thank you so much for the very interesting topic about cholesterol. Listening from the Philippines.
I was on statins. For like a year ? Caused muscle aches so I stopped taking them. I eliminated pepsi and stopped cheese bread for over a year. Only eat cheese ocassionally now . Homemade mostly I make using vinegar to curdle the nonhomoginized milk I use instead of rennet. I have not ate any kind of meat in 50 years. My cholesterol did go less after eliminating the cheese and bread. I do eat corn tortillas
Keep thinking while you can as your brain needs cholesterol, reducing it may cause cognitive problems down the track.
I think it is important to remember that LDL is NOT cholesterol, that elevated LDL is NOT a disease that should be treated, that in the human body there never is only ONE cause for some phenomenon, or only ONE effect from a drug. Elevated LDL numbers ('high' is a subjective value statement) can be caused by many circumstances. For instance, when you ingest no or low carbohydrates the body will have very little glucose to burn so it will start burning fat from your fat stores. This fat must be delivered to your cells via (V)LDL. Thus your LDL numbers will be elevated, in the context of a perfectly functioning and healthy body. Yet your doctor - who has no clue about diet and physiology - will freak out and prescribe a statin. Said statin will throw a spanner in the works by cutting off your CoQ10 synthesis, to name one bad side effect. The beneficial effect of 'cholesterol' lowering drugs in patients with previous CVD manifestations has most probably nothing to do with lowering LDL but more with their somewhat anti inflammatory side effect. There are many aspects and nuances to this topic which in my opinion both Dr. Dhand and Dr. Westman fail to point out.
Spot on
They only have so much time. If you’ve seen multiple posts of these doctors they give so much more info than here.
@@AnneMB955 I understand and agree. I greatly appreciate everything Dr. Westman does. But most viewers don't watch everything so I think it is important to be careful with the terminology and point out that there is much more to it than can be covered in one short podcast. I know they can't possibly give all the info in one podcast, but they should not cut too many corners in what they can put in one episode.
It's folly to think the doctors even know the normal LDL values of their patients, when the last few meals, the amount of fasting before the measurement, exercise, stress, etc. affect the value, quite radically even. (edit: heck, just the timing of you last coffee can affect your measurement)
The “lifestyle change” every single doctor will tell you is to go plant-based. And we know that that’s not good enough for human health.
I’ve been on a carnivore diet for several months and my results couldn’t be any better. Mental and physical changes have been astounding to say the least. Every time me and my sister, who is a nurse, talk about my diet she brings up cholesterol and insists it can’t be good long term to eat so much red meat. It always puts doubt in my head even though I’ve read up on this issue a lot.
Cholesterol? Why can we not use the proper terminology such as lipoproteins (VLDL, LDL, IDL, HDL, Chylomicrons), Apo(B,C,E) receptors, Triglycerides, esterified-cholesterol, etc. The Lipid numbers come from the the cholesterol in the lipoproteins (that is why it is listed as LDL-cholesterol). We blame the LDL for doing it's job, as the person kills themselves eating and drinking junk!
Keto Cajun… where in La are you? I’m in Broussard
And I'm in Crowley.
1. Drug companies have decreased the so-call acceptable levels of cholesterol, in order to push their drugs onto the market. 2. Blood cholesterol calculation by Laboratories only do an estimate. They do not calculate the whole calculation. And only look at "total cholesterol in the blood rather than "LDL" levels. Doctors are not fixing the main cause i.e. poor diet, sedentary lifestyle.
My age 73, my Dr adm Statin for 5yrs now, I feel my Health going down.
Stop taking them...😮
My problem is I'm a lean mass hyper responder.Could you address this in a video?
Thank you so much. We need people like you,
I’ve just had a “mild” heart attack few days ago. I’m otherwise very fit, eating whole foods and exercising every day. I’m as I type, wanting for docs to do final round and discharge me. They are trying hard to put me on Statins to lower my very high LDL, but vids like this have me telling them “nope!” Here’s my question: if one has had a heart attack, are these auto-prescribed meds a must? Side effect sound awful. I’ve never taken meds (I’ll be doing the blood thinners because they put stents in) before, and I’m not ok with starting now. I’m 65. Thanks for any input. ❤
Ich hatte vor fast 2 Jahren einen sehr schweren Herzinfarkt mit viel Glück überlebt. Die Medikamente die ich danach bekommen habe, haben mir überhaupt nicht gut getan. Ich habe schon immer niedrigen Blutdruck. Der sollte unter 100 gesenkt werden mit Metropolol und dann noch mit Ramipril. Die Statine haben ganz schlimme Bauchschmerzen verursacht. Der Magen und Dünndarm bis zur Milz und Speiseröhre waren betroffen. Derzeit nehme ich nur noch Ass und Pentalong. Dazu mache ich täglich 30 Minuten Crosstrainer. Ich habe noch 1 Stenose die aber kompliziert zu beheben ist. Ich bin jetzt 63.
What effect does menopsuse have on LDL? Mine is high 214, and HDL is 66. My doctor is convinced I'm in danger of heart attack or stroke. She insists I use a statin, but i am reluctant to do so. She has never ordered an Advanced Lipid Test to guide her decisions.
My cardiologist told me in his words - If you don't that a statin I can't keep you from dying - so i asked him, if I take a statin I won't die - he had no reply
My cardiologist put me in a statin because of a weak heart. I'm reading all I can for an upcoming appointment. I've read several places, and even Dr Oz popped up, that the problem is if a plaque Ruptures causing a HA or stroke. What do you think about that angle??
Had my last check up in July 24. All of a sudden, I had borderline high cholesterol and 6.0 pre-diabetic. I was started on .5mg Rosuvastatin and given a DASH diet. At 76 years old, I work my little ranch and do more work accidently than most people do on purpose. I was used to eating anything I wanted. I started a KETO Vore diet dumping the DASH, Carbs, Sugar and Statin. I'll see what happens on the next 6 month checkup. After listening to Doc Westman, I expect the LGL and triglycerides to be high but everything else to be good.
Thoughtful Doctor just like you. Thanks
Great information, thank you doctor.
So glad you refer to him
he is such a wonderful brave Dr. He is is very knowledgeable. Also SA push statins
Just a correction: Dr Dhand is a Medical Consultant based in the USA. He is not a UK GP.
I had that pressure from my doctor to take statins , even though I am thin , strong , eat well , low blood pressure and using HRT. She I used the Mayo Clinic site I had 97% chance of never having a problem . But … the pressure is so intense because drs are evaluated by the meds they prescribe that it is in my file now that I refused to take the drug , but she offered 😡 thank you Dr EW🙏🏻
And how does one go about finding cardiologist for example, that embrace this paradigm shift?
Thank you for sharing this important information, very helpful
"Asked to go on a medication," my ass. My doctor bullied me onto Statins. It made me furious, I fired my doctor, and I canceled ALL of my prescriptions. I fell a week ago, I do that frequently anymore, and injured my right ribcage. It is causing me a fair amount of pain, but I refuse to go to the hospital! No more insurance money for the AMA or any of their stooges!
Please at least go to urgent care and see if you have broken ribs. My friend was stubborn, did not go to get x-rays when he fell, and a cracked rib broke in two and punctured his lung. He almost died.
Great info, doc! When cutting carbs, does that include whole food sources like sweet potatoes and lentils, or just refined carbs?
Loved the last 5 mins. Keep em short.
I’m not seeking a medical degree only what makes sense while balancing where I spend my time.
Thank you so much Doc.
Ps. I do both try and eat keto ish healthy. And use statins to keep numbers where I want them.
Blessings!
When I asked what can I do instead of taking a statin. I'm told I need to stop eating so many eggs and red meat 😮😢 And I need to eat more fruit and vegetables 😩
Same here. So I switched to carnivore-keto.
I don't eat meat or eggs yet have high cholesterol. Go figure.
I was prescribed statins and was on them a month. All of a sudden I developed petickia, bleedind under my skin. We tried a different type of statin and got the same thing. I stopped taking them and all of my problems disappered.
Dr. Westman, are you an advocate of using products that contain milk thistle to address non alcoholic fatty liver disease?
I'm in UK and recently had a 6.9 cholesterol reading of which 1 was good cholesterol and straight away was put on statins . I was put on statins over a year ago but after week stopped bcuz of aching joints. I'm on another statin now and been advised to take it at night. It's 7:46 better but I have still got a nagging doubt whether I need it
Been followin him since COVID times
They put my wife and brother on Statins in the UK without offering any kind of dietary advice/modifications first. They carry on eating unhealthy and think its ok as the statins normalise their blood cholesterol and their GP is happy with this. I've given up telling them they will die at an earlier age if they carry on.
You can lead the sheep to truth but you can't make them think.
(Plagiarised)
Almost no medicine should be taken in perpetuity, but it's very common for people to reach for any pill than make even the tiniest of changes. Of course, the lifestyle change doctors sometimes advice is without actual guidance, and often difficult to follow.
Love your reactions. I deeply respect your opinion.
*I had very high blood sugar I only managed to improve my health when I found a WONDERFUL treatment,❤❤ if you want to know about it, I left the video in the comment reply*
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Been watching Dr. Dhand for a while now. Am starting to trust his viewpoints. Was wondering too if our cholesterol reading is high, it’s for a good reason. Repairing the body, so this should not be lowered with statins or Oreos. 😉
Really like the way you, Dr. Westman, add your thoughts too. Double the benefits. 👏
It's the same "treatment" to get rid of T2 diabetes and balance cholesterol, No or Low carbs/sugar. Statins reduce the good ldl's, not the damaging small ldl's. And the side effects from statins are not worth the 1% chance of not having a heart attack, imo. My dad has unfortunately been on statins for years and has ALL the side effects. Muscle weakness, fatigue, depression, anxiety, memory loss, t2 diabetes, low testosterone, neuropathy, joint pain, etc. And is having to take other meds to help with the symptoms from the side effects. He's miserable, and all for what? A possibility he might live a week longer? But, he's 80 and doesn't want to eliminate carbs from his diet, he's getting a bit of enjoyment from his sandwich for lunch, some cheese and crackers before dinner and a couple cookies after. So Dr's refuse to take him off the statins. It's a vicious circle, one I'll never get on, even if my cholesterol became an issue, I'd refuse a statin since I've seen the negative effects with my dad, and others.
I have severe Claudication with attempted clot removal and had a stent placed. Allergic to statins. Rapatha is the next step.
I thought when the increasing profits were mentioned that they would also mention the dropping upper LDL trigger point that has gone from 130, to 100, to 70 and now down to 55 mg/dL over that the las several decades. Where are the studies that back up these reductions? Are they only pharma financial analyses?