Here is my recent talk on STATINS: Some Inconvenient Truths Sadly, most practicing doctors haven't got a clue about what I talk about here, because they mindlessly follow whatever they are told to do, and don't research information or know their history Anybody is welcome to have these discussions... on Statin use with their Doctor, and make their own INFORMED decisionshow more

I appreciate the interesting talk. Here are my thoughts as a US (int med) physician: 1) I agree with you that our specialty has become protocol followers. With professional societies and organizations that come out with guidelines, we were often taught that we do things because "The _____ Association said so." While I believe we are taught how to critically think and analyze research papers, I'm not sure how many utilize that skill. Unsurprisingly, our profession is quickly being replaced by cheaper mid-levels, who are just as good at following protocol. 2) Whether the lipid hypothesis is true or not (though it is essentially accepted as true in our profession), just focusing on LDL may be just oversimplifying the issue. At the end of the day, LDL contributing to atherosclerotic heart dz is mediated by inflammation and oxidative stress. Probably the reason why we see the small effect of statins in CVD is because they have a mild anti-inflammatory effect. I'm inclined to believe LDL is just one component of many in contributing to inflammation and oxidative stress. 3) Additionally, with the recent craze of GLP-1 agonists and their reported cardioprotective effects, several papers show that inflammatory markers decrease. To add to #2 above, I'm beginning to believe that the mild reduction in inflammation seen with these drugs is what leads to statistically significant results in CVD. 4) I absolutely agree with you that lifestyle modifications through diet and exercise trump any medications we can throw at someone. One of my favorite things I like to do is discontinue unnecessary medications in patients, especially when I see that they are improving their lifestyles. The issue in my practice is that I care for patients in the inner city who often struggle to get by financially. While the state may cover the costs of medications and hospital bills, they do nothing to address the underlying cause. As you may be very well aware, the American diet is inherently pro-inflammatory and a healthy lifestyle is a luxury many people cannot afford. 5) I cannot say #BigPharma and #BigFood are evil conspiracies, meaning that I don't believe there are groups of people who make decisions just for the sake of evil. But I would be a fool to not recognize how the monetary incentives related to these industries trickle down to government policies and then to the livelihood of its citizens. At the end of the day, the incentive structure is the issue and something needs to change.

@sodiumsaltymd Well said and thanks for this great comment

Very good talk. You'll find this hard to believe but my doctor talked me out of making lifestyle changes & highly recommended I take statins instead. I did & I became quite ill.

Unbelievable! Hope you fire that *doctor*

I just got my father off statins - replaced with Berberine / citrus bergamot / lycopene stack … fuck all these “doctors”

I enjoyed this. I remember how ZERO public heath people suggested diet and exercise DURING the worst part of Covid. Even though obesity was one of things that caused death. I’ve been paying attention. Please do mammograms. I know it’s not ur area, but I’d love to hear ur take.

I got lucky many years ago when a doc put me on a statin. I immediately noticed problems with recall of simple words. I experimented taking off and on to confirm. Made lifestyle changes and next appt Doc said blood shows the statin is working great! I said no I quit taking it.

Now do one about getting two 2️⃣ jabs at the same time 🕰️ 1. Flu 2. Covid Concoction or what ?

We have been working on psychiatric aspect of cholesterol-lowering strategies. The brain is the the richest organ in cholesterol. Cholesterol lowering strategies frequently lead to aggressive and violent behaviors.