Is Statin Medication Making your Memory Worse?
Who hasn’t forgotten something they were about to say, or walked into a room and completely forgotten the reason why?
There are some common memory issues that occur regardless of age, but progressive and major memory loss may signal a more serious condition. That’s why it is pretty important to identify the difference between regular forgetfulness, and the symptoms that may indicate a developing cognitive problem. It has been estimated that today about 102 million people in the US are classified as having high cholesterol levels; and because the conventional medical consensus is that cholesterol is bad for your health and causes heart disease, sadly the majority of our doctors are convinced it is necessary to lower cholesterol at all costs.
In his book ‘Fat And Cholesterol Are GOOD For You!’ Uffe Ravnskov, MD, Ph.D. speaks about the importance of cholesterol and just how necessary it is for our bodies to function heartily and healthily, whilst obliterating the prevailing paradigm that cholesterol is a dangerous enemy to be conquered!
The doctor of the future will no longer treat the human frame with drugs, but rather will cure and prevent disease with nutrition.” -Thomas Edison.
Statins consistently top the list of best-selling prescription medications, utilized by tens of millions of people in the United States alone and are one of the most common drugs for high cholesterol. But more and more, there are growing concerns over their serious and adverse side effects which include but are not limited to muscle weakness, neurological disorders, thyroid disorders, kidney damage, liver damage, congestive heart failure, and cancer.
Research studies also indicate that statin medications are associated with memory problems; so despite medical advice that insists statins are safe, statin users are reporting that they experience memory loss while taking the medication, so can statins negatively affect your memory?
Well, the simple answer to this question is yes! Let’s take a look at how and why statin medications can be a cause of memory loss. But first, let’s address what statins are.
What Are Statins?
Statins are pharmaceutical drugs, that work by actually blocking the main enzyme in your liver that the body utilizes to make thin or low-density cholesterol, known as lipoprotein (LDL) and commonly dubbed as “bad cholesterol.” In the late 1980’s different types of statins were developed and were found to be very effective in reducing the amount of LDL cholesterol levels.
So does the reduction in cholesterol levels correlate with improved health outcomes for those taking them? Well Dr.David Brownstein, who is a Board-Certified family physician and leading practitioner of holistic medicine adamantly affirms that statins are ineffective for 99% of those that use them, and believes these dangerous drugs should be outlawed!
Protect Your Body!
So we have a gargantuan and escalating issue - statins are, in good faith, taken by millions of people on the recommendation of their doctors, but the problem is the vast majority of physicians fail to tell their patients that cholesterol-reducing statin medications cause memory loss and a host of other disturbing side effects! Every synthetic medicine brings with it side effects, some minor and some major and so do statins!
Why Statin Medications Affect Memory
Despite popular belief, cholesterol is absolutely vital for proper and efficient brain function. While your brain represents just 2-3% of your whole body weight, it has been observed that 25% of the cholesterol in your body is located in your brain. This cholesterol plays various important roles in your brain and ensures proper functionality. According to Yeon Kyun Shin, a biophysics expert at Iowa State University,
“If you deprive the brain of cholesterol, then you directly affect the machinery that triggers the release of neurotransmitters.”
Neurotransmitters are one of the most important chemicals that regulate cell activity involved in working memory. In short, they are critical for functions like memory, learning and behaviour. How smart you are and how well you remember things, is basically controlled by neurotransmitters. So when these get affected, your memory gets affected as well. Dr.David Brownstein states on his website:
“I have seen many patients suffer with a decline in brain function from taking a statin drug. Knowing how statins work - they poison an enzyme needed to make cholesterol - would allow anyone to predict that brain problems will be more common from statin use.”
In his book 'Drugs That Don’t Work and Natural Therapies That Do' he wrote that
“You can’t poison a crucial enzyme or block an important receptor for the long-term and expect a good result.”
So What Can You Do?
So, we know a little about statin medications right? And their harmful side effects to brain function and memory of course! But, are there other risks? Well, like most medications, statins also have a lot of other side effects too. Commonly investigated are muscle pain and weakness, muscle damage, liver damage, rash, increased blood sugar and risk of developing type 2 diabetes as well.
So, what can you do? And how can you prevent memory loss?
Well, there are some simple (if not easy) lifestyle habits that may help you prevent memory loss. Consider making some basic healthy changes like hydrating with sufficient water everyday, staying physically and mentally active, socializing regularly and getting enough sleep. And maybe most importantly, focus on your diet because the foods you eat can either be the safest and most powerful form of medicine or the slowest form of poison.
One of the foods that can easily be added to your regimen is Coconut Oil.
Extensive research on coconut oil reveals that coconut oil yields great benefits for your brain and can be used for the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
Coconut oil is a significant source of medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) which uniquely feeds your brain. Triglycerides are large molecules that are harder to break down and are easily stored as fat. When your brain cells don’t get the energy they need, they soon start to die. Fortunately, MCTs in coconut oil naturally do a great job of fuelling the brain. How? Well, they’re broken down into ketones by the liver, and readily cross the blood-brain barrier to provide instant energy to brain cells preventing the characteristic loss of function within the brain due to apoptosis (the death of those cells). This natural superfood appears to be capable of preventing and even reversing memory loss!
Sophia Michel is Co-Author of Tough Roads Create Tough People and Love Mastery, an Independent Health Researcher, Health & Happiness Coach, College Lecturer, Electromechanical Technician, Wife and Mother.
Find her on Facebook at bit.ly/sophiamichel
Get in touch at bit.ly/paradigm-contact
You can find more information about cholesterol and statins plus recommendations about what you can do to avoid taking Statin Medication in the following books:
The Statin Disaster by Dr. David Brownstein
Ignore the awkward: How the cholesterol myths are kept alive by Uffe Ravnskov, MD, PhD
The Cholesterol Myths by Uffe Ravnskov, MD, PhD
Dr. David Brownstein is a Board-Certified family physician and is one of the foremost practitioners of holistic medicine. He is the Medical Director of the Center for Holistic Medicine in West Bloomfield, MI.
Uffe Ravnskov, MD, PhD is a Skrabanek Award Recipient 1998, Author and Founder of The International Network of Cholesterol Skeptics (THINCS) www.thincs.org