It’s long been said in the marketing world that sex sells.

All you need to do is look at the store windows and billboards on 5^th Avenue to see that playing out before your eyes.

Know what else sells?

FEAR.

And that’s a favorite tactic used by the pharmaceutical industry to sell you on their medications.

There’s nothing like fear to compel you to throw hesitance and gut instincts to the wind and join the daily pill poppers club of America (or wherever you live).

This is especially true when it comes to statins.  Drug companies play hard on your fear of our #1 killer (heart disease) to compel you to take these poisons, when it would probably be safer if you drank turpentine for your cholesterol.

Here’s what I mean.

All it takes is repetition

All we’ve heard over and over throughout the last few decades is that cholesterol means heart disease.

What most people don’t realize is that cholesterol’s role in the development of heart disease has been extensively overstated and twisted so that drug companies can make lots of money on statins.

Pfizer’s cash cow Lipitor is the most profitable drug of all time, with sales of over $140 billion.  They are very happy that millions of people have been frightened into thinking cholesterol is bad, thank you very much. 

Plus drug companies have extremely strong influence over medical school curriculums, the physician community, medical associations and the prescribing parameters they create.

Take a look at what is considered high cholesterol for instance.  A few decades ago, high cholesterol was diagnosed in patients with total cholesterol over 240, usually in conjunction with other risk factors of heart disease like smoking. 

Now?  That number has been lowered by 25 percent down to 180.  And you know what that means—a  huge new class of people for whom statin therapy is recommended.

But the inconvenient truth here is that we’re not seeing any measurable decreases in heart disease with all this statin use.  Funny you don’t hear that on any of the drug commercials that bombard every form of media in the US.

Now let’s look at…

The real truth about cholesterol and heart disease

Nothing that naturally occurs in your body is there by accident, and cholesterol is no exception.

Cholesterol is a substance your body NEEDS.

It functions as an antioxidant, protects you against cancer, it repairs wounds and tears in your arteries, it’s vital for your brain and nervous system, it’s needed for your body to make hormones and vitamin D, and it helps your body use serotonin, which protects against depression.

The true instigator behind heart disease is inflammation in your arteries, and that is very commonly the result of these 4 things:

• Too much glucose coursing through your blood (because of a diet high in processed foods, sugar, soda and refined carbs, as well as stress)
• A buildup of homocysteine in your bloodstream (due to lacking B vitamins)
• Lacking the natural anti-inflammatory Omega-3 essential fatty acids your body needs to control inflammation
• High blood pressure (which is commonly the result of diet and lacking exercise)

Once inflammation occurs in your arteries then yes, cholesterol is summoned to the scene to do its healing and repair work—but it’s certainly NOT the guilty party here!

They NOT safe!

Although statins are ridiculously touted as “safe” nothing could be farther from the truth. 

Statins can and do cause many serious side effects including death, muscle pain and weakness, incapacitation, kidney failure, liver damage, type 2 diabetes, memory loss, dementia, depression, pancreatic inflammation, sexual dysfunction, gallstones, poor digestion, low energy and abnormal heart rhythm.

Plus they have been linked to the neuromuscular degenerative disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. 

In addition, statins deplete your body of Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), which in turn can actually INCREASE your risk of acute heart failure!  How’s that for a kicker?

And lastly, speaking of our top killers, statins also increase your risk of cancer (our #2 killer).

Sorry, but none of this sounds very “safe” to me.

A smarter, safer approach

A smarter, safer approach here is to naturally support your body in its efforts to control inflammation and maintain a healthy cholesterol level! 

Here are some measures that can help:

Start with your diet.

Eat wholesome REAL foods and ditch the processed junk, sugars, refined carbs and sodas. 

And don’t buy into that “all saturated fat is bad” BS either—that was created by vegetable oil companies who make a lot of money selling you their rancid oils and margarines.  Your body needs saturated fats, so go ahead and have a 3-4 oz. serving of meat (preferably organic) or butter on your vegetables.

Make sure you have adequate levels of Omega-3 essential fatty acids.

Omega-3 EFAs are Nature’s anti-inflammatory, but our food supply is severely lacking in these crucial fats.  The best source is fatty fish, but that’s not something the average person eats 7 days a week.

The best way to make sure you have health-supporting levels of Omega-3 fatty acids is by supplementing with a fish oil formula like VitalMega-3. 

VitalMega-3 provides a soothing 1,200 mg of Omega-3 fats in every daily 2-capsule dose, including the all-important EPA and DHA.

Get regular exercise.

Nothing is more effective to help control your blood pressure and your weight than working up a sweat at least 3-4 times a week. 

Plus exercise is the best stress reducer there is, and stress is yet another factor behind high levels of glucose and inflammation in your blood vessels.

Just be sure to get your doctor’s OK first—trust me, he or she will be thrilled.

Embrace the incredible power of turmeric.

Studies have shown that turmeric performed just as well as Lipitor in correcting the underlying pathology that causes oxidative stress and inflammation in your blood vessels!

The active component in turmeric, curcumin, has been proven to be so effective as an anti-inflammatory that it's been compared to prescription anti-inflammatories, without the dangerous side effects!

Besides lowering your cholesterol, turmeric has also been shown to protect your heart, relieve indigestion and improve your liver function.

Since most people don’t get much turmeric in their diet (Indian food contains some, but not nearly what you need), supplementation with a turmeric formula like Optimal Turmeric Blend is a must!

Optimal Turmeric Blend provides 750 mg of pure, organic turmeric in every daily 2-capsule dose, plus black pepper extract to help enhance absorption. 

Now you are armed with REAL information—not drug and food company hype—about cholesterol and how you can stack the deck in your favor to help prevent heart disease!

To your healthy cholesterol level,

Sherry Brescia