Question: Last March, I had a heart attack and had stents inserted. My doctor insists that I need to take statin drugs, but these drugs make my muscles hurt. Will the statins damage my heart muscle?

Dr. Blaylock's Answer:

Your experience, unfortunately, has been that of thousands of other people. Doctors have come under the spell of pharmaceutical-company propaganda and do not understand statin drugs or atherosclerosis.

The Physicians’ Desk Reference, the information source on drugs for doctors, clearly says that muscle pains are a reason to stop taking statins, as this can lead to permanent damage to muscles and even a fatal condition. In many patients, the pains will disappear by taking 300 to 600 mg of coenzyme Q10 (in oil) three times a day.

What's more, additional concerns were raised when the Food and Drug Administration recently announced that it was adding warning labels to statins that say they may raise levels of blood sugar and cause memory loss.

The stents, being reactive metals, can cause early clotting of the artery. In my view, a better alternative to stenting is to use a garlic extract at a dose of 300 mg twice a day. Another supplement that can be of great benefit is pomegranate concentrate, at a dose of 6 ounces a day.

Studies have clearly shown that lowering cholesterol in elderly women has no beneficial effects. In fact, most do better with higher cholesterol levels.