Cardiomyopathy Caused By Cholesterol Drugs

Cardiomyopathy refers to disease of deterioration of the heart muscle. This is characterized by any or all of the following: enlarged heart, poor cardiac output, poor oxygenation rates, weak or leaky heart valves, arrhythmic heart beats from too slow to too fast to a shaking heart, fluid retention, high or low blood pressure, fluid on the lungs and breathing problems, pneumonia, edema, and more.

Idiopathic is a medical term that means nobody knows the cause. The possibility that medical treatments are the cause most of the time is ignored altogether. In most of these cases doctors simply say it is genetic or viral. And indeed viral infections can and do affect the heart and can cause cardiomyopathy.

But perhaps the least understood cause of the ever-increasing numbers of cardiomyopathy sufferers is the over-the-top use of cholesterol lowering drugs called statins. In the quest to lower cholesterol at all costs these drugs are given to just about everyone - even healthy people. And these are not harmless drugs - they actually interfere with your body's (liver's) ability to produce cholesterol - a scary prospect indeed.

This therapy produces instant gratification for doctor and patient by lowering cholesterol numbers. These drugs are indeed the absolute cure for the condition of "cholesterol neurosis" (the unwarranted fear of cholesterol). But by killing the "evil cholesterol" we are producing all kinds of other problems. One of these is cardiomyopathy caused by a deficiency of Coenzyme Q10. Statins don't only cut cholesterol production, they also diminish other critically healthy molecules as well - one of which is CoQ10.

For the average patient it may take several years before this phenomenon seats in. For some of the elderly, this problem can develop in a matter of months. It is often preceded by the usual trouble with statins - muscle pains, fatigue, and muscle weakness. Since the heart is a muscle, the most ominous end result is often heart failure - due to cardiomyopathy.

This is a double whammy because at this stage it takes serious treatment to bring the patient back to normal. Indeed many patients who do not have the advantage of the therapies we use have been relegated to a heart transplant because of cardiomyopathy. If due to statins in a healthy patient, it would be sad indeed since this person's only disease is the non-disease of "hypercholesterolemia." The cholesterol levels are deemed too high by "cholesterol experts" hell-bent on selling statins by transforming fully a third of Americans into patients.

Be very careful of this phenomenon if you are on these drugs. Cholesterol levels are dangerously low below 150, low below 175 and normal up to 250 to 275 (especially when the HDL to total cholesterol ratio is good). And in people over age 75, the higher the cholesterol, the longer the longevity! If you don't believe me or the other real experts in this field, and if you decide to take statins anyway, be sure to take 6 to 9 Cardio-Plus during this time. It will offer some protection from the CoQ10 ravaging effects of these drugs.

Also, in the medical journal Circulation, February 16, 1999 it showed that people consuming flax oil daily enjoyed a 70% reduction in deaths from heart disease.  Fish oils (such as Cod Liver Oil) are an even better source of Omega-3 and Omega-6 essential fatty acids than flax.  We carry a very pure brand of Cod Liver Oil at the office that is flavored with orange or peach.  It tastes great, even for kids, and it doesn't burp up later!