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Good morning and welcome to Episode 033 of the Train Your Brain Podcast with Dr. Michael Trayford. Every Monday we produce a 30-minute episode. Tuesday through Sunday we produce episodes with five-minute tips. Every episode of the Train Your Brain Podcast features a tip, so you can receive pointers 365 days a year that will help enhance the performance of your brain!
In Episode 033, Dr. Trayford talks about the health risks present with the use of Statin drugs. Please research the risk factors and side effects of taking Statins. Their impact on the brain is striking. You are controlling the fat in your blood to prevent heart attacks, but you might also be dangerously cutting off the fat to your brain. Be very careful or you will end up with the healthiest heart in the dementia ward.
If you have any concerns regarding the information and applications discussed in this podcast, please consult your physician and a doctor who is experienced in functional neurology. Michael Trayford DC, DACNB is available for consultation by calling (828) 708-5274. Thanks for listening.
This is something we’ll talk about later in one of the half hour episodes a few months down the line. I did want to expose the listeners, because it is incredibly timely, incredibly important and something that needs to be investigated.
This involves a particular drug, that the vast majority of a certain population is taking. And it’s also one that comes with a good deal of controversy, even though the evidence is out there. Particularly in the main stream sources to talk about the dangers of this particular drug.
Now are you familiar with statin drugs Jason?
Jason: I’m actually not. I’m not really into drugs all that much.
Well that’s a good thing. The statin drugs, once I say the name, you’ll be familiar with it. It’s the class of cholesterol lowering medications, so it’s your Lipitor, Zocor and those types of medications.
Jason: Yes!
Now the title of this topic or tip is Statin Drugs, investigate the danger. Now I talked to a lot of folks, whether in practice or adjunct faculty appointments that I do in classes to boomers and seniors. I had a class of 200 boomers and seniors last year in an eight-week program that I was doing through the University of North Carolina here in Asheville.
We were talking about the dangers of statin drugs. Now in an audience like that probably 150 out of the 200 participants in this class were on statin drugs. It’s just the normal course of events for the individuals at the ages they’re at.
Now this is a big challenge because when you’re talking to an audience like that nobody wants to hear that they might be doing something that’s not good for them. Especially when they think they are doing it because it is supposed to be good for them.
Jason: Right
So that’s the conundrum. But there is enough evidence that I feel comfortable walking into those types of situations and at least opening people’s eyes a bit. I’m not telling anybody to stop taking your medications, that would be foolish and frankly malpractice to do that.
So what I’m asking people to do is investigate the potential dangers. And I shouldn’t even say potential dangers anymore I should just simply say investigate the dangers because they are out there.
For example, you can simply go to the Mayo Clinic’s website and they’ll talk about the side effects of statin drugs and you can look at any other website. Cleveland clinic, WebMD, you can look at any of these resources that are very conventionally minded and base and they talk about all of these things.
The first that had come out many, many years ago, about 20 years ago was muscle pain and damage or neuro-muscular pain from statin drugs. People would just develop pains throughout their body, and we found, and this is out in the research as well that a certain anti-oxidant called co-enzyme Q-10 is depleted or lowered in the body when people take statin drugs. Now if they simply take that particular antioxidant along with the statin drugs if they have to take the statins, that can reduce the muscle pain so that there are certain things that can be done to help that.
But there’s also, the bigger issues at this point now of increase potential for type 2 diabetes, dementia, now this is really important stuff, because now we’re trying to control some fats in the blood stream that are potentially leading to an increased rate of heart attack and at the same time we’re increasing our risk of diabetes, dementia and other neurological issues.
So this is a big challenge. You have to really weigh things out and determine how long you would need to be on these medications, what’s your risk for developing these problems. Is it worth it? And then there is an area where they talk about this on the Mayo Clinic’s website.
Who’s at risk of developing statin side effects. This is interesting, because being 65 or older, already having blood sugar problems like diabetes and some other things. You know taking multiple medications, these are all risk factors for developing side effects of statins. These things also describe nearly everyone who was taking a statin drug.
So almost all of them are at risk of these side effects. So it’s pretty interesting stuff and when you just start to scratch the surface and look at it, you see what a big problem it is. I’d like to just bring this up and I’ll talk about it on the extended episode on statins.
I was at a neurology conference out in Las Vegas last year and there’s this brilliant neuro-scientist talking about statin drugs and their impact on the brain. Specifically with regard to dementia or cognitive decline and memory decline.
So basically we’re controlling the fats in the blood with the statin drugs to prevent heart attack. That’s really what it’s all about. So some people the fat in their blood is so well controlled that they minimize fat to the brain.
Now the brain is made of great deal of fat. The brain needs fat. And this is why they’re looking at people developing dementia, because they’re not getting enough fat to the brain because it’s too well controlled. Now he had a brilliant statement and he basically said that on the statin drugs you’re going to have the healthiest heart in the dementia ward.
It’s just so profound. You know I didn’t hear anything the rest of that presentation because I couldn’t stop thinking about that. It was brilliant and sad at the same time.
You will have the healthiest heart in the dementia ward. And we’re seeing it now, time after time after time. People with decreased cognitive function on standardized tests and nine times out of ten they’re taking a statin drug. So again, we just want to investigate the dangers of statin drugs. That’s all I’m bringing up right now. And we’ll talk about that a bit more in greater detail.
For more information on this topic you want to talk to your physician and talk to them about the drugs you’re taking understand the drugs you’re taking and learn about them. You can talk to a physician versed in functional neurology and explore alternatives or supplements to the drugs you are taking.
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