My Crestor ( Statin ) Concern. Small issue

[TucsonJJ]

Jeeze, that's a bummer... not many great treatments, eh? Long time smoker? Diabetic? Must have some baseline morbidity... these days... that usually means diabetic... my bro (not related, both adopted) had that and so many more issues... died of a massive stroke at 64.
I'd think about him taking DMSO... weird stuff, who knows what it can do?
Life is strange. I wish your pal the best.

 

[TucsonJJ]

Incorrect. Why do you think plaque forms in the first place? Yep... inflammation. You have it bass-akward. Plaque dose not cause inflammation, inflammation causes plaque.
Here's the juice... inflammation means your arteries become "irritated"... many times due to too much sodium (salt) and/or glucose (sugar), which are abrasive... or other systemic morbities. LDL cholesterol does its job, which is to coat the inflamed areas... sort of a "healing" mechanism... continued inflammation... continued "coating", which gets thicker and thicker... until you have a blockage. LDL is not the bad guy in this and is actually helpful... gets too low and you are in trouble...
If you don't believe any of that... no problemo.

 

[Golfboy307]

Tucson, you may already know this but Red Yeast Rice contains the active ingredient in statins: monacolin K. In fact, the earliest statin drugs were derived from this plant. I take RYR daily with the supervision of my doctor. Like you, it has done a nice job on my LDL with a much lower dose than most statin drugs. I know this supplement is readily available OTC, but it really is a natural statin and should be treated as such.

Another helpful supplement along these lines is Kyolic Aged Garlic.

 

[TucsonJJ]

Yes, I did know that... but thanks! I have never heard of RYR having the nasty side effects and dangers of prescription statins... have you? I know that supposedly, that active ingredient of RYR was banned... but the FDA is so confused and FUBAR and corrupt... who knows? The Weider brand works...
I personally feel that the Red Palm Oil 100:1 concentrate is more effective, but combined... they do a great job.

 

[broker]

When high levels of cholesterol occur in the bloodstream, excess LDL begins to seep into the inner wall of the artery. This triggers an inflammatory response, which actually speeds up the accumulation of cholesterol in the artery wall. This in turn produces more inflammation—and on and on. Eventually the deposited cholesterol hardens into a plaque, which can rupture and lead to the blood clots that cause heart attacks and strokes—an event that inflammation also appears to help along.

 

[Golfboy307]

Tucson, the FDA cracked down the advertising for RYR, not necessarily the ingredient. The makers aren't allowed to say things like "lowers cholesterol" etc. The other thing my doctor said is that the monacolin K content can vary widely from brand to brand. The reason you probably don't hear about side effects is that is a fairly low dose compared to most pharmaceutical statins.

 

[TucsonJJ]

When high levels of cholesterol occur in the bloodstream, excess LDL begins to seep into the inner wall of the artery. This triggers an inflammatory response, which actually speeds up the accumulation of cholesterol in the artery wall. This in turn produces more inflammation—and on and on. Eventually the deposited cholesterol hardens into a plaque, which can rupture and lead to the blood clots that cause heart attacks and strokes—an event that inflammation also appears to help along.

IF it was LDL's "nature" to "seep into arterial walls", even normal to low LDL would still cause major problems... why would only high levels of LDL cause problems, if LDL was "programmed" to "seep in"??? Thus EVERYONE would have clogged arteries.
LDL only "seeps in", if there is inflammation of the arterial walls. that is why some guys like me, who have had high LDL for years, 180ish (now much lower due to diet and supplements) but very low inflammation (C-reactive protein scores) have ZERO scores on the Calcium cardiac scoring scan. Why do you think that is... luck? Not to be a wise guy...

 

[TucsonJJ]

Tucson, the FDA cracked down the advertising for RYR, not necessarily the ingredient. The makers aren't allowed to say things like "lowers cholesterol" etc. The other thing my doctor said is that the monacolin K content can vary widely from brand to brand. The reason you probably don't hear about side effects is that is a fairly low dose compared to most pharmaceutical statins.

Not sure about that... maybe the manner of advertising was addressed too, but this shows the content was addressed too... from online:
"In 1998, the FDA determined that a red yeast rice product that contained a substantial amount of monacolin K was an unapproved new drug, not a dietary supplement. On several occasions since then, the FDA has taken action against companies selling red yeast rice products that contain more than trace amounts of monacolin K, warning them that it is against the law to market these products as dietary supplements. "

 

[Vince]

Are his heart issues due to his coronary arteries clogging up? Many heart issues are not related to clogging... his zero score means zero calcified plaque clogging... unless test was bogus... or, I have heard of "soft plaque"... which doesn't register... but it appears that calcified plaque is far more of a threat...

Soft or Hard Plaque - Which Poses Greater Risk of Heart Attack?

Calcified plaques appear to be associated with adverse cardiovascular events rather than soft plaque which builds up in the arteries, blocking blood flow.

www.medindia.net

It takes one year for soft plaque to calcify and then they can be measured. Calcified plaque is stable plaque, soft plaque can ruptured and caused a heart attack or stroke.

 

[TucsonJJ]

Do you know if soft plaque can be diagnosed in any way? Scans, MRI... ???
I would think having a zero Calcium CT score would make having any soft plaque problems pretty unlikely...
I HOPE!!
BTW: If you have not heard about a supplement called Serrapeptase... it is well worth looking into... If I had measurable coronary plaque (or carotid plaque)... I would be taking it for sure. Might be good for other stuff... like arthritis... or Alzheimer's... not sure...

 

[Vince]

The only way I know of to see soft plaque is a Cardiac catheterization. If you have a zero score, I wouldn’t be concerned.

 

[TucsonJJ]

The only way I know of to see soft plaque is a Cardiac catheterization. If you have a zero score, I wouldn’t be concerned.

Yeah, that score was 3 years ago, but have been eating better since then, so I should be fine... I am hoping my hematocrit doesn't pop... or my PSA... if not, everything should be good to go. Thx!

 

[mcs]

Red PALM Oil and yes, it does... I add the red yeast rice to give it more kick. Some RYR brands are not effective... teh Weider brand is. My numbers REALLY dropped. If you can only choose one, take the Red Palm Oil... but only the 100:1 concentrate... regular red palm oil is not effective.

I'm thinking it's the tocotrienols and other phytosterols that are the active ingredients in the Swanson product that help with the lipids. Swanson uses the EVSpectra oil:

EVSpectra™ – Natural Red Palm Oil Concentrate - ExcelVite

EVSpectra™ 10/5 – Natural Red Palm Oil Concentrate EVSpectra™ 10/5 is a reddish vegetable oil suspension of naturally occurring mixture of tocotrienols / tocopherol complex (vitamin E) and multi-carotenoids. It consists predominantly of alpha-tocotrienol, beta-tocotrienol, gamma-tocotrienol...

www.excelvite.com

 

[TucsonJJ]

I'm thinking it's the tocotrienols and other phytosterols that are the active ingredients in the Swanson product that help with the lipids. Swanson uses the EVSpectra oil:

EVSpectra™ – Natural Red Palm Oil Concentrate - ExcelVite

EVSpectra™ 10/5 – Natural Red Palm Oil Concentrate EVSpectra™ 10/5 is a reddish vegetable oil suspension of naturally occurring mixture of tocotrienols / tocopherol complex (vitamin E) and multi-carotenoids. It consists predominantly of alpha-tocotrienol, beta-tocotrienol, gamma-tocotrienol...

www.excelvite.com

Ah... probably correct... I didn't see the EVS product for sale... odd... I would think that Swanson prices are better than others anyway... true in most but not all cases...

 

[Joe Sixpack]

Do you know if soft plaque can be diagnosed in any way? Scans, MRI... ???

A CIMT (Carotid Intima Media Thickness test) can detect soft plaque in the carotid artery. There is supposedly a 90 some % correlation of carotid plaque w/ the amount found in your arterial tree. So whatever soft plaque is found in the carotid, you supposedly can assume roughly the same amount in the rest of your arteries. The CIMT uses ultrasound and is completely non-invasive.

 

[TucsonJJ]

Well, we disagree, which is fine. I posted an article above #12... IMO, after a LOT of research, I believe that cholesterol will NOT form plaque in arteries if INFLAMMATION is not present. If it did, everyone, no matter how healthy, would have arterial clogging. IF LDL just naturally formed arterial plaque, even in the absence of inflammation, it would form no matter your cholesterol levels... it doesn't, IMO. I personally do not have any (as of '17 CT score), even with years of 180 LDL, 230+ total cholesterol and a very high small particle count. I have much better numbers now. LDL is useful and necessary... it HEALS inflammation by coating it... if inflammation persists... the "healing" coatings grow thicker and thicker... thus: Plaque. Even with great total and LDL numbers... most of those with serious inflammation WILL clog up.
Inflammation is not often checked, in my experience with MANY Docs... I have to ask for the C-reactive protein test. Homocysteine is not as reliable.

 

[TucsonJJ]

A CIMT (Carotid Intima Media Thickness test) can detect soft plaque in the carotid artery. There is supposedly a 90 some % correlation of carotid plaque w/ the amount found in your arterial tree. So whatever soft plaque is found in the carotid, you supposedly can assume roughly the same amount in the rest of your arteries. The CIMT uses ultrasound and is completely non-invasive.

I have had an ultrasound several times on my carotids... is this CIMT test different?
Have you heard of "Serrapeptase"?

 

[Joe Sixpack]

I have had an ultrasound several times on my carotids... is this CIMT test different?
Have you heard of "Serrapeptase"?

I believe your test is different from the CIMT. I think yours is called a dopler ultrasound and it detects bloodflow and narrowing of the carotid. The CIMT detects the plaque load and can tell if it is calcified or soft. The CIMT I did had some algorithm that calculated an arterial "age".

I have not looked into Serrapeptase. Should I?

 

[Joe Sixpack]

When high levels of cholesterol occur in the bloodstream, excess LDL begins to seep into the inner wall of the artery. This triggers an inflammatory response, which actually speeds up the accumulation of cholesterol in the artery wall. This in turn produces more inflammation—and on and on. Eventually the deposited cholesterol hardens into a plaque, which can rupture and lead to the blood clots that cause heart attacks and strokes—an event that inflammation also appears to help along.

This theory is under a lot of dispute at this time. The statin producers would love everyone to believe this. That the more LDL you have the more cardiac events you have. But I have seen studies that show that virtually equal numbers of people have cardiac events at all levels of LDL. In other words the amount of LDL in your bloodstream is a very poor predictor of future cardiac events. LDL's poor predictive ability is why you now see people focusing on other measures hoping to get more predictive power: particle count, particle size, APO-A, APO-B, LP-a, LP-PLA2, etc.

 

[Gman86]

This theory is under a lot of dispute at this time. The statin producers would love everyone to believe this. That the more LDL you have the more cardiac events you have. But I have seen studies that show that virtually equal numbers of people have cardiac events at all levels of LDL. In other words the amount of LDL in your bloodstream is a very poor predictor of future cardiac events. LDL's poor predictive ability is why you now see people focusing on other measures hoping to get more predictive power: particle count, particle size, APO-A, APO-B, LP-a, LP-PLA2, etc.

As far as I know most studies show that having a higher LDL decreases the chances of a cardiac event. LDL is extremely important. It’s also very important for the immune system, and probably other things we’re not aware of. I personally don’t like my LDL going below 200. I’ve never come across a doctor that’s more invested, interested, and has such a great grasp and understanding of cholesterol and lipids as Dr Paul Saladino. I’m not saying to believe everything he says as gospel, but if anyone’s interested in hearing the best explanation and understanding of LDL and how it actually interacts in the body, go check him out. I’ve heard so many doctors and experts talk about cholesterol before, but have never heard one come close to understanding it at the level he does. Bottom line tho, as far as I understand it, LDL can cause issues in the concurrent presence of insulin resistance. Without insulin resistance, LDL is greatly beneficial. He has patients that have an LDL as high as 600, with zero cardiovascular disease. LDL is not to be feared. It’s been framed. Insulin resistance, excess sugar intake, excess unhealthy oil/ fat intake, processed foods and inflammation are the main causes of cardiovascular diseases, not healthy fats and high LDL.