As you may recall, in a previous video I addressed the topic of statin drugs, and whether these drugs are over-prescribed.  In that video, I criticized the approach of treating people’s cholesterol without any regard to the patient’s cardiovascular health or to other considerations.

Recently, Dr. Steve Nissen, chairman of cardiovascular medicine at the famed Cleveland Clinic and a very vocal proponent of statins, wrote an editorial in which he rebukes those who question the use of statins as “an internet-driven cult with deadly consequences,” a cult he calls “statin denial.”

Those are pretty strong words.  In fact, I think these are smearing words, meant to stifle any debate.

Am I a statin-denialist?  I’m not sure.  Dr. Nissen defines the problem as he sees it in 2 ways:  1) statin denial is “the proposition that cholesterol is not related to heart disease” and 2) statin fear is the notion that lowering serum cholesterol levels will cause serious adverse effects, such as muscle or hepatic toxicity—or even worse, dementia.”

Now, it’s true that some people hold an extreme position regarding statin drugs and, in my opinion, exaggerate their risk.  But it is undeniable that thousands, if not millions of healthy people are prescribed statin drugs—and therefore turned into patients, who need to worry and undergo constant monitoring.  The risk of being healthy yet turned into a patient is, in my opinion, very serious.Read more