I’ve been reading your blog for a couple of months now, ever since my copy of “Fat Head” arrived shortly after the new year. It’s ironic that I had been discussing statins with my 77 year old father recently when I happened upon this post. Although he still adheres to the low fat diet mentality that’s been forced upon us all, he decided on his own several months ago to stop taking his prescribed statins. Apparently, he’d heard somewhere that they’d been “over prescribed” and just didn’t like how they made him feel. If I could only convince him to abandon the sugar and all the other carbs he consumes thinking he’s doing the right thing.

“Good Calories, Bad Calories” is probably a bit much to ask him to read, but “The Vegetarian Myth” covers some of the same territory, as does “Primal Body, Primal Mind.” I hope you convince him to cut back on the carbs, but giving up statins is a big step in the right direction.

Sorry about your dad. I don’t know if this would be helpful to your father, but maybe it would be for others. Are you aware a ketogenic diet has been shown to be helpful to Alzheimer patients? The brain can use two things for fuel, glucose or ketones. Apparently with Alzheimer’s patients, the glucose receptors don’t work well so these individuals are not getting enough brain fuel. If they have ketones to draw on, they can get back some (a lot?) of brain function fairly quickly–in hours even. I should also note that coconut oil is a source of ketones (though if there is too much glucose in the body, you can’t guarantee that the brain will use the coconut ketones). A medical doctor found that coconut oil really helped her husband and she’s done a long interview on her research.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iScs0uzQZFk

Other people around the web report serious success with a low carb diet.

I think if we’d changed his diet earlier, it may indeed have helped. Mom tried coconut oil and dietary changes a year or so ago at my suggestion, but didn’t notice any difference. Too far gone, I guess.

That’s the point I’m at now: remembering and honoring his life. It makes a difference.

Thanks, Preston. I plan to get back to town in time for the Christmas party at the theater. See you then.

I took Lipitor for 5 years and finally had the sense to get off of it. I had problems with my memory. You see, I am a singer, and could no longer memorize music. I also had severe, sudden bouts of anger that cost me a job. After I stopped the Lipitor my memory mostly came back and the anger issues just melted away. My husband took Vytorin for 6 months and became impotent. I convinced him to get off it, and although he’s not quite as good as he was, he is able to function that way. I just had a really unsatisfactory visit with my doctor who berated me for my high LDL and can’t understand why I won’t take a statin drug. She’s trying to convince me to try statins other than Lipitor, but won’t accept that the side effects are due to the drug. She makes me feel like I’m going to die any momentt. The disappointing thing was my A1C went down to 6.0 from 6.3 and there was nary a congratulation or word of encouragement.

How do I find a more sympathetic doctor? Does anybody know any good doctors in Central Massachusetts?

I don’t, but Jimmy Moore keeps a list:

http://lowcarbdoctors.blogspot.com/

It seems almost contradictory to be grateful towards such a horrible illness, but I suppose there really is a silver lining to every cloud.

Yup. I think in his childhood he learned that being emotional and vulnerable was dangerous. Now he’s forgotten all that.

My father in law is on a low dose of lipitor. Luckily I recently showed him Fathead, and he is now eating low-carb! He had already been on moderate-carb, convinced of the low-carb way in general, but having watched Fathead he is a full convert.

I wanted to ask you, if you know, is there one article on Dr Graveline’s site that would be a good introduction for me to send him to? I find it far more likely that people will ‘listen’ if you give them a link to one summarizing article than a whole website of stuff.

Incidentally, a friend of mine – a woman in her mid-thirties, with young children, planning to have more – has high cholesterol, and the top cardiologist at a reputable hospital told her to go on statins. I spent one of our 40 minute commutes telling her all about the evils of statins, how high cholesterol is NO problem for women, etc etc… she didn’t want to go on the statin, so I’ve given her enough ammo to not go on them. Can you imagine? Putting a healthy woman in her thirties on statins because of high cholesterol?

It’s an outrage that any woman is put on statins. Congrats on talking her out of them.

http://www.spacedoc.net/statin_side_effects

I agree that we don’t need flouride in our water to avoid tooth decay; we just need to avoid coating our teeth with sugar and simple starches. Anthropology should’ve taught us that lesson.

I was referring to the practice of bleeding the patient to let out the bad humours. It’s what hastened Washington’s death; doctors bled out about a third of his blood.

Writing is how I deal with things. Thank you.