(NaturalNews) Big pharma propaganda has reached a new height in the UK this week, with the release of a new study that appears to show the benefits of taking statins. The report goes on to claim that everyone over 50 years of age should be taking the drug on a daily basis, for the rest of their lives.

According to the report, the benefits of the statins are to reduce the risks of heart attack and stroke. It then goes on to say that the drug is effective on patients who are classed as not being high risk, but may be smokers, have high blood pressure or are overweight. There are also claims of saving up to 10,000 lives a year, and preventing one third of all heart attacks, strokes and operations on blocked arteries. All this from a drug that would only cost 16 GBP a year per patient in the UK.

While the report does mention that there may be a "slight risk" of the onset of diabetes, it stops short of mentioning some of the even more serious side effects. Side effects range from cataracts, constipation, sexual dysfunction, memory loss, headaches and loss of appetite, to depression, loss of feeling in hands and feet and myopathy. Myopathy is a side effect that affects approximately 1 in every 1,000 users, resulting in pain and tenderness in muscle tissue. This leads to rhabdomyolysis, the breakdown of muscle cells, kidney failure and in some cases death.

Long term use linked to debilitating illness and higher profits

To prescribe statins for every person over the age of 50 in the UK would mean in excess of 20 million people taking these drugs resulting in 20,000 people with myopathy and becoming disabled or dying. This compared to the current number of heart attacks, means that twice the number of people will require hospital treatment. But the pharmaceutical companies will stand to make in excess of 320 million GBP from the UK alone. When put into that context, it is easy to see why this report has been published.

Forcing all people over the age of 50 to take a drug is fundamentally wrong. It flies in the face of the right of all people to choose what they put into their bodies and is an obvious con trick. The goal of the con is to make huge profits out of the industry that has been created around cholesterol levels. If the ratio of LDL to HDL cholesterol is a problem to a patient, it would cost the NHS nothing to prescribe a natural diet with lots of fresh raw fruits and vegetables, without red meat or processed foods. If combined with natural sources of soluble fiber, and daily exercise, the levels of cholesterol would decrease naturally without the need for expensive and dangerous drugs. It seems though that these drugs are aimed at those who want a low LDL to HDL ratio, but want to eat junk and do no exercise. Faced with either painful myopathy or exercising and eating healthy, surely the choice is obvious.

Information for this article can be found at these web sites

http://www.dailymail.co.uk

http://www.naturalnews.com/002692.html

http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/myopathy/myopathy.htm

http://www.agediscrimination.info/statistics/Pages/Statistics.aspx

http://www.patient.co.uk

About the author:

D Holt is currently involved in research in the UK into the mechanisms involved in healing due to meditation, hypnosis and other ''spiritual'' healers and techniques. Previous work has included investigations into effects of meditation on addiction, the effects of sulphites on the digestive system and the use of tartrazine and other additives in the restaurant industry. new blog is now available at http://tinyurl.com/sacredmeditation twitter @sacredmeditate

D Holt is currently involved in research in the UK into the mechanisms involved in healing due to meditation, hypnosis and other ''spiritual'' healers and techniques. Previous work has included investigations into effects of meditation on addiction, the effects of sulphites on the digestive system and the use of tartrazine and other additives in the restaurant industry. new blog is now available at http://tinyurl.com/sacredmeditation twitter @sacredmeditate

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