‘Internet driven cult’ pushing patients from statin medications despite proven safety

Denial is not just for climate-change anymore…The newest charge of “fake news” has been lodged against those who would argue that statin medications cause more harm than good, and that fad diets, natural remedies and wishful thinking will protect you better from heart disease than these ubiquitous prescription drugs.

They are everywhere on the Internet, says Cleveland Clinic cardiologist Dr. Steven Nissen…[He] says he was incredulous to find that some online sites suggest that patients with higher levels of LDL cholesterol (the kind that cardiologists call “bad cholesterol”) are healthier.

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“We are losing the battle for the hearts and minds of our patients to websites developed by people with little or no scientific expertise, who often peddle ‘natural’ or ‘drug-free’ remedies for elevated cholesterol levels,” adds Nissen. This “Internet-driven cult” denies statins’ benefits and whips up fears of side effects, then profits from the resulting confusion by peddling snake oil.

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For a nation that loses almost a billion dollars a day to heart attacks and strokes, the opportunity costs of such statin-refusal are high…The new study found that those patients who quit taking their statin medication were 14% more likely than patients who stayed on their medication to suffer a heart attack or stroke or die from such a cardiovascular event.

The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion, and analysis. Read full, original post: Fake news about statins is discouraging the use of these life-saving drugs, expert warns