Resurrected Videos from ABC Australia Explode the Cholesterol Myth
A two-part documentary from ABC Australia on the criminality of Big Pharma sent shock waves through mainstream media and the medical establishment when it first aired in 2013. Titled “The Heart of the Matter,” the airing left the pharmaceutical industry in a tailspin. Its message was so powerful. Pressure to remove it so intense that ABC buckled and took down the videos from its site. Now they have been re-released. Why all the uproar?
This documentary drives a stake through the heart of the cholesterol theory that has resulted in millions taking deadly statin drugs, the biggest blockbuster and cash cow the pharmaceutical industry has ever known. If you are now taking a statin drug or just thinking about it, you won’t want to miss these videos. They are full of information that may save you life.
Both parts of the documentary, reported and moderated by Dr. MaryAnne Demasi, first appeared on a popular news program called The Catalyst, and were subtitled The Cholesterol Myth, and Dietary Villains and Cholesterol Drug War. After the first episode, the pharmaceutical industry threw a fit and demanded the network not air the second episode. The network aired it anyway, but finally removed both episodes, announcing that the documentary “breached its impartiality standards.” The show has been in mothballs until now, when Health Impact News resurrected a copy.
Just a few years ago, more than one in four Americans over the age of 45 were taking a statin drug, such as Lipitor or Crestor to reduce their cholesterol levels, thinking that would keep them safe from heart disease. Some doctors in the U.S and abroad were even advocating mandatory statins for everyone over the age of 50. Today it appears that the cholesterol myth is crumbling under a growing pile of evidence documenting that rather than preventing heart disease, taking statins can actually causes and accelerates it.
A landmark study in 2012 showed that statin use is associated with a 52% increase in prevalence and extent of calcified coronary plaque compared to those who used no statins. “Arterial plaque is a hallmark of cardiovascular disease and increases risk of all-cause mortality,” according to natural health advocate Dr. Joseph Mercola. Anything that increases calcification and stiffening of arteries should be avoided, and statins fall into that category.
Another study found that type 2 diabetics with advanced atherosclerosis, and taking statin drugs regularly, had significantly more coronary artery calcification compared to those who did not take statins. Participants not initially taking statins saw their progression of coronary artery calcification as well as abdominal aortic artery calcification significantly increase when they began frequent statin use.
Dr. Mark Hyman, the physician called in to treat President Clinton after his bypass, says patients who lower cholesterol with statins have higher levels of insulin, while those who lower it with diet have lower insulin levels. This is important because elevated insulin levels are the first sign of diabetes, and are what cause weight gain around the middle, high blood pressure, increased inflammation, and may cause stickiness of the blood. Each of these conditions contributes to heart attacks and heart disease.
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Dr. Mercola seconds those statements, saying that diabetes is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, which is why so many diabetics are prescribed a statin drug. However, statins actually accelerate the progression of disease. “If you don’t have diabetes already, taking statins will significantly increase your risk”, he says, noting a study in which statins increased the risk of type 2 diabetes in postmenopausal women by a whopping 48 percent.
In spite of all this, the use of statin drugs continues to be recommended by physicians who get most of their continuing education from pharmaceutical companies. Just a coupe of weeks ago I was astonished when my highly intelligent and thoughtful dentist told me he is now taking statins because his doctor says he must. Before you fall into the same trap, be sure to watch these videos, if they haven’t as yet been taken down.
