Here is the list of over 20 publications about iodine consumption, trials, findings etc. the normal intake may be between 6 to 12.5 mg. it depends on the individual. when i started taking iodine, i took 50 mg a day for a week before i felt any uneasiness. now one drop of lugol's iodine every second day and i can feel it. according to these studies some vitamins along with iodine play major role in coping with iodine.  
http://www.optimox.com/pics/Iodine/opt_Research_I.shtml

What's your opinion of potassium salt?  I've been using an iodized mixture of sodium and potassium chloride lately, and it seems to be working well.

I use sea salt that contains iodine naturally.  I also eat a little seaweed a couple of times a week.  Is this sufficient?  Who knows, I guess.  I definitely do not have any trace of a goiter.  I eat fish, too, and live on the East Coast, so I assume I'm okay.

The full text of the article "Iodine: deficiency and therapeutic considerations" (Altern Med Rev 13 (2): 116–27. PMID 18590348) published last year can be found here.

From that article: "The safety of therapeutic doses of iodine above the established safe upper limit of 1 mg is evident in the lack of toxicity in the Japanese population that consumes 25 times the median intake of iodine consumption in the United States. Japan’s population suffers no demonstrable increased incidence of autoimmune thyroiditis or hypothyroidism."

StephenB

This is the second time in a week the volatility of iodine has come to my attention.  I'm wondering now about the iodine content in the dried kelp and sea vegetable I have in my cupboards.  Anyone have any idea how stable that iodine is?

What do you reckon about "Celtic" salt (unprocessed sea salt)? I know there's a lot of websites out there granting it near-magical health properties, about which I am extremely skeptical, however it does have a notable amount of minerals in it (about 8% I believe) whereas regular salt is refined to 99.99% purity. So it seems if you switched to using that kind of salt in your diet (including avoiding processed food which uses pure salt) it may have some benefit. It does contain iodine naturally, too.

I'm taking Lugol's solution too, about 10 drops a day. My iodine was measured at "<1" by the lab four months ago.

Australian readers should note that Australian soil has an extremely low iodine content (it's official), so our food is unlikely to be a source of pretty much any iodine at all. A case where being a "localvore" won't help your health.

I take Iosol iodine, which I get from iherb.com for $12 a bottle (http://bit.ly/6qLtp). Each drop has 1,830 mcg of iodine, and there are over 600 drops per bottle. Great price, and seems to be working well for me. My feet aren't nearly as cold as they used to be, and my usually low morning temperature has started increasing a bit, too.

My sense is that goiter is the least of the problems with iodine deficiency.  Kris has pointed to the optimox link.  Optimox manufactures Iodoral which is iodine in convenient tablet form.  The liquid form, Lugol's Solution is available here: http://www.jcrows.com/iodine.html

My sister began taking iodine supplements last year at my suggestion.  She had experienced 5 years of bad mammograms so she was delighted to have a flawless mammogram three months after starting iodine.  It seems that iodine is so important to the baby that breasts concentrate iodine as well as thyroid glands.  Fibrocystic breast disease seems to be the equivalent of goiter in breast tissue.

She also reports better sleep, fresh moist skin, quicker reactions, more energy and most recently, iodine applied to poison ivy stopped the itch.  

Dr Flechas reports here, http://iodine4health.com/disease/diabetes/flechas_diabetes.htm, that half of his diabetic patients are no longer diabetic when they get enough iodine.  The other half improve, needing less medication.  It seems to me that iodine should be the first step in treating diabetes of either form.

Iodine deficiency is reported to be the number one preventable cause of mental retardation in the world.  Looking around, goiter is not the most visible evidence of iodine deficiency.

Having read the papers at Optimox and others, iodine looks to be under appreciated and quite valuable.

I cut out all salt from my 'nutritarian'-style diet a few weeks ago.  But as a result of reading this blog, I started taking 4 kelp tablets a day at about the same time. I'm thinking of taking even more tablets to try to help increase my low (according to the endocrinologists and this blog, not my doctor) thyroid numbers.

I rarely use salt except when I make popcorn.  I do occasionally take an Iodoral and sometimes add a drop of aquarium Lugols iodine in my 7 gallon water jugs of thermal spring water.

When I run in 90°+ weather I do take salt.  So far, at age 70, no goiter.

You might want to let Michael Bloomberg know that cutting back on salt will increase iodine deficiency.  His health commissioner, Thomas Frieden, was picked to head the CDC.

Remember to reduce bromine exposure which competes with iodine.

Thanks for conducting the poll - very interesting.
We use kosher and sea salt at home - about a year ago, this late realization (regarding iodine) led me to a bit of a panic, as my pregnant wife was nearing full term...  I was especially worried because I had been all along encouraging heavy broccoli consumption as well, and brassica vegetables are known to have goitrogenic properties (as do many other types of plants).  I then learned she was taking a multi-supplement that contained a fair amount of iodine. Whew.  Our 10 month old is doing great now, fortunately.   
We consume a fair amount of garlic and seafood as well, though I don't really know what the variance is when it comes to garlic's iodine content - presumably it depends quite a bit on the soil and water supply (Apparently, California garlic and broccoli assimilate a fair amount of selenium from the water used for irrigation, for instance).

k1wuk,

I'd love ot know if you have any more info on iodine and breast health.

I checked the Lo-Salt I've been using since I decided I might not be getting enough potassium (a good guess as electrolytes came back spot on) and realise it is NOT iodised.

Not a problem personally I suspect as I eat plenty of fish and shellfish but I'm now trialling various seaweeds, sea vegetables etc. Even without a deficiency these are tasty!

Goiter is not common in the UK AFAIK, nowhere near as common as hypothyroid. However when young my father was hyperthyroid, which damaged his heart before being treated. Didn't stop the tough old goat from living into his eighties, but in retrospect I believe he may well have become hypothyroid in later life as a result of the operation (not diagnosed), and probably also became Type 2 (not diagnosed)in his last years.

Probably wouldn't have lengthened his life but diagnosis and treatment would certainly have improved the quality a lot. All power to you for continuing your posts on these issues. They will suffice until Endocrine System SP1 is released.

Anna

Here are few links to dr. david derry's answer to patients(in case you haven't found it your self). My wife had painted lugol's iodine externally for breast lumps, with unbelievable results only after applying it twice. she was having hard time sleeping on one side. her mother passed away few years ago with Breast cancer. just being extra careful now.
http://thyroid.about.com/library/derry/bl1a.htm

http://thyroid.about.com/library/derry/bl2a.htm

My endo told me to avoid iodine because it exacerbates goiter in hypothyroid.  Also, those of you who know nursing mothers, PLEASE be aware of this risk:

from pubmed:
1: Hypothyroidism in a breast-fed preterm infant resulting from maternal topical iodine exposure.
Smith VC, Svoren BM, Wolfsdorf JI.
Pediatr. 2006 Oct;149(4):566-7.
PMID: 17011335 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

2: Transient hypothyroidism in a breastfed infant after maternal use of iodoform gauze.
L'Italien A, Starceski PJ, Dixit NM.
J Pediatr Endocrinol Metab. 2004 Apr;17(4):665-7.
PMID: 15198299 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

3: Early childhood caries: an overview with reference to our experience in California.
DenBesten P, Berkowitz R.
J Calif Dent Assoc. 2003 Feb;31(2):139-43. Review.
PMID: 12636318 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

4: Transient neonatal hypothyroidism during breastfeeding after post-natal maternal topical iodine treatment.
Casteels K, Pünt S, Brämswig J.
Eur J Pediatr. 2000 Sep;159(9):716-7. No abstract available.
PMID: 11014479 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

5: [Iodine antiseptics are not harmless]
Arena Ansotegui J, Emparanza Knörr JI.
An Esp Pediatr. 2000 Jul;53(1):25-9. Review. Spanish.
PMID: 10998400 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

6: The newborn should be protected from dangerous transient induced hypothyroidism.
López-Sastre JB, Rivas-Crespo MF.
Acta Paediatr. 1995 Oct;84(10):1211. No abstract available.
PMID: 8563243 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

7: [Thyroid function disturbances in an infant following maternal topical use of polydine]
Rakover Y, Adar H.
Harefuah. 1989 May 10; 116(10):527-9. Hebrew.
PMID: 2792927 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

8: Topical iodine, breastfeeding, and neonatal hypothyroidism.
Delange F, Chanoine JP, Abrassart C, Bourdoux P.
Arch Dis Child. 1988 Jan;63(1):106-7. No abstract available.
PMID: 3348642 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Leslie.
here is another study from the same site search. i just copied the whole paragraph.

1: Public Health Nutr. 2007 Dec;10(12A):1600-1.Click here to read Links
    Iodine nutrition of pregnant and lactating women in Hong Kong, where intake is of borderline sufficiency.
    Kung AW.

    Department of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong SAR, China.

    OBJECTIVE: To describe the iodine nutrition of pregnant and lactating women in Hong Kong, where intake is of borderline sufficiency.DESIGN: Review of cross-sectional and prospective studies.SETTING: China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR).SUBJECTS: Pregnant and lactating women.RESULTS: Studies of pregnant women in Hong Kong SAR have revealed an increase in the urinary iodine (UI) concentration as pregnancy advances. A significant percentage of women had a sub-normal serum thyroid hormone concentration at full term. Although iodine is concentrated by the mammary gland, 19% of all mothers had low iodine concentrations in their breast milk. The moderate correlation between the concentrations of iodine in breast milk and urine suggests that an adequate maternal urinary iodine concentration cannot reliably indicate that an infant is getting enough iodine in breast milk. Therefore, some breast-fed infants may still be at risk of low iodine intake, and additional iodine supplements, other than salt iodisation, would be warranted in this population.CONCLUSIONS: The currently recommended intake of iodine through universal salt iodisation may not be adequate for pregnant and lactating women, and supplementation during pregnancy and lactation should be further considered in light of the latest recommendations.

here is another one.

1: J Am Coll Nutr. 2004 Apr;23(2):97-101.Click here to read Links
    Maternal thiocyanate and thyroid status during breast-feeding.
    Dorea JG.

    Faculdade de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, Brazil.

    Cyanogenic glucosides are naturally present in plant foods especially in staple foods (cassava) consumed by millions of people in tropical countries. Most traditional processing methods are effective in detoxifying such goitrogens to safe levels of consumption. Nevertheless, residual cyanide (CN) is rapidly metabolized to thiocyanate (SCN) by existing metabolic pathways. There are concerns that goitrogens may reach the nursing infants through breast feeding or cow's milk based formulas. SCN adverse effects are commonly observed in relation to cigarette smoking. Breast-feeding is effective in protecting infants from anti-thyroid effects of eventual or habitual maternal exposure to CN exposure in food (cassava) or recreation habits (cigarette smoking). SCN goitrogenic effects occur secondary to iodine deficiency in special circumstances of high consumption of incomplete detoxified cassava and insufficient protein intake. Only during inadequate protein nutrition can SCN aggravate endemic iodine-deficient disorders (IDD).

More and more one reads about these, more and more it becomes a muddy and confusing subject.
despite the fact that we have all sorts of studies and experts to educate people, all it takes is few drug profit driven experts studies to confuse the less money spending route.
Please read this
"The Wolff-Chaikoff Effect"
"crying wolf".
http://www.optimox.com/pics/Iodine/IOD-04/IOD_04.html
Please don't take me wrong. i am not trying to contradict the studies that you have posted here. i am merely trying to show as to what else is available out there.

The Safe and Effective Implementation of Orthoiodosupplementation In Medical Practice

This section had me laughing out loud. Much the same applies to the use of effective amounts of D3.
Medicoiodophobes suffer from: A) a split personality which results in iodophobia within the orthoiodosupplementation range previously used safely and successfully in medical practice and iodophylia for megadoses of iodide (up to 12 gm/day); B) double standards, which render those physicians intolerant to the minor side effects of the inorganic forms and extremely tolerant to the severe side effects of the radioactive and organic forms; C) amnesia pertaining to the inorganic, non-radioactive forms when making therapeutic decisions; D) confusion, attributing the severe side effects of organic iodine-containing drugs to inorganic iodine/iodide; and E) an altered state of consciousness, allowing doublethink, doublespeak, and contradictory logic to become acceptable. Although the factors involved in medical iodophobia are still unknown, decreased cognition seems involved. Since low iodine intake is associated with intellectual impairment, deficiency of this essential element cannot be ruled out, and if present, would create a self-perpetuating phenomenon. Needless to say, medical iodophobia is contagious and can be transmitted to patients and other physicians (iatrogenic iodophobia). Medical iodophobia will remain a syndrome until the causes are discovered and effective therapy implemented. It is very likely however, that medical iodophobia will eventually be classified as an iodine-deficiency disease.

My endo told me not to take iodine because he said living in the UK, it being an island, people here get enough iodine from their diets.

He also said that because I eat a lot of fish (once or twice per day) that gives me additional iodine.

He said some of his German patients take iodine against his wishes (must be a popular supplement among Germans), and if they are pregnant it's really bad for the fetus.

Anne

Fish.
according to Dr. david derry,"Fish of the great lakes still shows Goiter formation".
http://books.google.ca/books?id=PVWOyP68OMsC&pg=PP1&dq=dr+david+derry&client=firefox-a#PPA6,M1
So even fish's origin is important. apart from fluoride in the tooth paste and fluoride added municipal water which depletes us from iodine. never mind chlorine in the water and bromine in the food and many other goods around us, helps to deplete iodine.

I wonder about the huge amount of food that is imported into the UK from distant locations One can't assume enough iodine universally throughout the UK based on UK soil content.

Kris - you should eat sea fish and shell fish.

Anne,
Thank you for your advise.
now i am eating sea fish twice a week. but iodine is must for me. my mother's right side elbow and knee was in bad shape for 35 years. The knee joint was so bad that the joint would come off of it's position. we had to learn our to self to place it back. as usual, she went to many doctors but no help. she is vegetarian all her life. about six months ago she started applying lugol's iodine externally on the knee. she was applying religiously 3 times a day for 2 weeks on and one week off. at the end of the two weeks application, the knee would look like war zone. after about month and half, the knee starting to look like normal knee. now she is able to walk about mile and a half every day on the tread mill. she also been taking 3 drops a day internally too. i personally believe in more iodine than we can find in our the food.

Anna:
"Breast Cancer and Iodine" by Dr David M. Derry, Canada

". . .someone who is simply the unwitting puppet of the pharmaceutical industry."

Unfortunately this seems to be the case with the three primary care doctors I've recently tried to establish a relationship with.  You know you're in trouble when you walk into their exam rooms and the walls are plastered with drug company posters.

Are the pharmaceutical people just getting to the doctors or do they go to the top and influence authority and then the doctor is scared of liability and only follows "best practice" guidelines and nothing more.  How many pharmaceutical employees are expert witnesses in court for cases against doctors who do not give statins?
Thanks for being brave Dr. Davis.

@Jonathan

I don't know about the docs, but I can speak for myself and several of my RD colleagues that we are scared of liability and Big Brother.  A lot of us believe that there should not be an emphasis on "healthy" whole grains and that saturated fat is not the enemy, but we tend to follow "best practice" guidelines and provide "evidenced-based" recommendations for fear of losing our jobs.  The most frustrating part of all of it is that most of those "evidenced-based" recommendations come from pharmaceutical and agrigulturally funded research!!!

How many people seeking medical advice just want a pill?  Brain washed, indentured wage slaves are loathe to change their diets or exercise much less budget, garden or cook their own food!  The problem(s) are HUGE and by design imo.  What a social experiment these corporations have wrought!

Before my heart attack last Oct. I was in great shape, I have never been overweight in my life and my cholesterol/triglycerides were all good.  I had a collapsed artery from some ruptured plaque and left the hospital with another 40-60% blockage in an artery at the bottom of my heart that they said they were leaving alone. Why did this happen when I was in what seemed like good health by the numbers? Who knows. I'm mystified.  I was given Plavix, Lopressor and Simvastatin. I stopped the plavix due to a reaction a few months down the road. I have now decided that when I see my cardiologist in December (I have a stress test scheduled) I will tell him to take me off the statin.
My lab work a few weeks ago was Triglycerides/43, HD/46 and LDL 74.  I think it's my diet more than the statin and I also think the statin may be keeping my HDL down. It was 65 before my heart attack. I think I can do just as good and possibly get my HDL higher without the statin and also adding niacin.

I heart another presumably valid reason why many doctors go directly to statins.  It was from a journalist (I can't remember what publication) but he had bad lipids, corrected them on his own with low carb, D, fish oil, etc.. and went back to his doctor and said, 'look see... it CAN be done with diet'.

The doctor smiled knowingly and said, 'yes, I know it can be done.  I can advise 100/100 patients to do this and 2 years from now 99/100 will be right back where they started.  Or I can prescribe a statin and have a far better chance of improving their profile.'

Most people don't care enough about their health to make the change on their own.

The sales reps are up to speed on all the newest medications.  They can rattle off statistics as to why one drug is better than another.  That's their job.  

In my veterinary practice I can't keep up with the newest surgical techniques and medications.  The drug reps keep my practice from becoming dangerously out of step. And similar to what anonymous said, I can lecture clients on how to best feed their animals but 90% goes in one ear and out the other.

kevin

kevin

Kevin,

Speaking of pet diets, we took in a stray cat three years ago and tried everything to get him to stop attacking birds to no avail.  We went on a low carb diet and decided he should too.  He eats ground up chicken sold as pet food.  He is no longer tempted by birds - he prefers mice!

I COULDN'T AGREE MORE. I AM A LIPIDOLOGIST AND    WAS TRAINED AND BRAINWASHED TO BE A HIGH END DRUG REP AND GET AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE ON STATINS. THAT IS THE DIRTY SECRET OF THE NLA WHICH TRAINS LIPIDOLOGISTS WHICH IS REALLY A PUPPET ORGANIZATION BOUGT AND PAID FOR BY BIG PHARMA....AND THEY KNOW IT....WATCH THEM CHANGE THEIR NAME IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS ONCE STATINS GO OFF PATENT AND THE TRUTH ABOUT THE LIPID HYPOTHESIS BEING A COMPLETE FAILURE GETS OUT TO THE PUBLIC

I can understand that the Drug companies have a huge influence.
I can also see how many people would rather take a magic pill with their Big Mac and Fries.
But... some of the Drug commercials on TV tonight mention Cancer as a possible side effect.
I think it was for an RA drug ?
I don't think I'd be willing to risk some form of Cancer as a trade-off for another illness.
Others mention Suicidal potential.
How can their CEO's sleep at night ?
And not for nothing... but the Medical Community - Doctors,etc - have to know the harm being done also.

I find the statin rants a little tiring; there are some of us out there who truly benefit from drug treatment where diet alone cannot get our lipid numbers in order.  I am of normal weight, exercise, eat no grains,sugar or cornstarch and without statins cannot get my NMR particle count below 1300 with 66% small particles.  Niacin not good due to eczema and seb dermatitis. With Statin and Zetia my particles are 609, BP, throid and D3 all normal( in line with Dr. Davis recommendations) and HDL is 59 with TRGS of 28. I clearly have an issue as TRGS were always low(no higher than 75) before elimination of grains,etc.  So, i am thankful for statins and my Lipidoligist

Reply for: Anonymous said...
I COULDN'T AGREE MORE...
...ONCE STATINS GO OFF PATENT AND THE TRUTH ABOUT THE LIPID HYPOTHESIS BEING A COMPLETE FAILURE GETS OUT TO THE PUBLIC

The truth is "out there" but it keeps getting buried by the press and Big Pharma. I read emails from those damaged by statins every day. Their stories may be anecdotal, but it's what's happening in the real World and no one is listening. My husband has persistent cognitive decline, Parkinson's hand tremor, numerous nutritional deficiencies, heavy metal toxicity... all of which I feel were "triggered" (over time) by 8 years of statin drugs; 1st Zocor, then Lipitor. He continuously complained about muscle/joint - pain/stiffness only to be told, "You're getting older, what did you expect?" "Statins provide more benefit than any discomfort you are experiencing." At that time he was in his mid 50's. There was a long list of other side effects too: visual disturbances, unexplained anger, muscle atrophy, dark skin pigmentation, etc. The final incident was TGA (transient global amnesia). So almost 7 years after stopping statins we're still trying to improve his quality of life. The most unfortunate and frustrating thing is trying to find a doctor or doctors that 1st, understand that by simply stopping statins doesn't stop the damage and 2nd, trying to find someone to guide the patient and caregiver with HELP and not just more drugs to cover-up statin damage.
There's a lot in the press lately that so many thousands of people will contract Alzheimer's in the next decade... well, I feel the 1st thing they should suspect is "statin drugs"... just do a search on "statins memory loss"... the evidence is OUT THERE.

Some pictures from the Stockholm EASD conferende on diabetes:

http://www.kostdoktorn.se/big-business

Big business indeed. Quite tragic...

"there are some of us out there who truly benefit from drug"

You have no idea if you will benefit from statins.  Yeah, it lowers your cholesterol.  It doesn't mean you'll not have a heart attack or not get cancer or not loose your mind.  The only benefit you are getting is peace of mind by skewing numbers that don't really have anything to do with heart disease.  Cholesterol doesn't cause heart disease, it is trying to repair the damage of what really is causing heart disease.

I think anon's point is a good one - as a fitness trainer I see folks who can and will change their diets to improve their health, the ones that won't go to see doctors.  The doctors don't believe the dietary change will help, for two reasons - it doesn't help if you recommend the USDA/ADA/AHA diets, and, 2, most of the folks they see don't want to change, they want a pill. A third reason is that even if a person changes their diet and gets healthy, once healthy, they revert to eating in the way that those they are around eat.  Eating is a social behavior.  It's a rare individual that can sustain the focus necessary to eat well in a world of mis-information and cheap, low quality food.

Thanks for your work, Dr. D, I feel like your posts are one of the most effective ways to communicate the significance of a smart approach to carbohydrate consumption.

Tommy,

Make sure to have your small LDL pattern and LP(a) checked.

Dr. Davis I respect what you have said and the way you say it, but the worst result of prescribing statins isn't simply that people are not given the best options - the fact is people die as a result of taking statin drugs.

Does anyone with any understanding of statins really believe that Lipitor or Zocor is any different than Baycol?

Given that Baycol was taken off the market after numerous reports of deaths from rhabdomyolysis - it astounds me that there is still a restrained yet positive viewpoint towards them. It would benefit doctors to get a few facts straight and begin to dig deeper than a summary of studies on pharmaceuticals. Consider that 94% of the drug advertising claims are not supported by scientific evidence - BMJ 2004;328:485 (28 February) http://www.bmj.com/content/328/7438/485.2.extract

Consider also that there are over 900 studies showing serious side effects of statin drugs and many other dangers related to their use:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/07/20/the-truth-about-statin-drugs-revealed.aspx

Then get back to the heart of the issue for the "use of statins" - cholesterol lowering and consider the work of Uffe Ravnskov who decimated the idea:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/12/05/Does-High-Cholesterol-REALLY-Cause-Heart-Disease.aspx

When it comes down to it Dr. Davis there are hundreds of thousands of victims of the medical communities "practice" of medicine and millions who owe their deaths or the death of their loved ones to the ignorance of the medical community to use available information and long ago written pieces on safer more effective methods of care for a patient - Max Gerson wrote on cancer cures back in the 50's and yet he is ridiculed by ignorant doctors who sell expensive non-cures to their cancer patients - these patients are numbered by the uncontested study of Gary Null, PhD and Carolyn Dean, M.D., et al - "Death By Medicine" http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2004/mar2004_awsi_death_01.htm

Kudos for being brave Dr. Davis - but a failure to recognize the damage done by medicine as practiced in America will result in an unwillingness to change - and cause the continued deaths of over 1 MILLION PEOPLE PER YEAR AT THE HANDS OF MAINSTREAM MEDICINE - people following medical advice, in institutions - not on their own and not following medical advice.

Dr. Davis I respect what you have said and the way you say it, but the worst result of prescribing statins isn't simply that people are not given the best options - the fact is people die as a result of taking statin drugs.

Does anyone with any understanding of statins really believe that Lipitor or Zocor is any different than Baycol?

Given that Baycol was taken off the market after numerous reports of deaths from rhabdomyolysis - it astounds me that there is still a restrained yet positive viewpoint towards them. It would benefit doctors to get a few facts straight and begin to dig deeper than a summary of studies on pharmaceuticals. Consider that 94% of the drug advertising claims are not supported by scientific evidence - BMJ 2004;328:485 (28 February) http://www.bmj.com/content/328/7438/485.2.extract

Consider also that there are over 900 studies showing serious side effects of statin drugs and many other dangers related to their use:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/07/20/the-truth-about-statin-drugs-revealed.aspx

Then get back to the heart of the issue for the "use of statins" - cholesterol lowering and consider the work of Uffe Ravnskov who decimated the idea:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/12/05/Does-High-Cholesterol-REALLY-Cause-Heart-Disease.aspx

When it comes down to it Dr. Davis there are hundreds of thousands of victims of the medical communities "practice" of medicine and millions who owe their deaths or the death of their loved ones to the ignorance of the medical community to use available information and long ago written pieces on safer more effective methods of care for a patient - Max Gerson wrote on cancer cures back in the 50's and yet he is ridiculed by ignorant doctors who sell expensive non-cures to their cancer patients - these patients are numbered by the uncontested study of Gary Null, PhD and Carolyn Dean, M.D., et al - "Death By Medicine" http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2004/mar2004_awsi_death_01.htm

Kudos for being brave Dr. Davis - but a failure to recognize the damage done by medicine as practiced in America will result in an unwillingness to change - and cause the continued deaths of over 1 MILLION PEOPLE PER YEAR AT THE HANDS OF MAINSTREAM MEDICINE - people following medical advice, in institutions - not on their own and not following medical advice.

Dr. Davis I respect what you have said and the way you say it, but the worst result of prescribing statins isn't simply that people are not given the best options - the fact is people die as a result of taking statin drugs.

Does anyone with any understanding of statins really believe that Lipitor or Zocor is any different than Baycol?

Given that Baycol was taken off the market after numerous reports of deaths from rhabdomyolysis - it astounds me that there is still a restrained yet positive viewpoint towards them. It would benefit doctors to get a few facts straight and begin to dig deeper than a summary of studies on pharmaceuticals. Consider that 94% of the drug advertising claims are not supported by scientific evidence - BMJ 2004;328:485 (28 February) http://www.bmj.com/content/328/7438/485.2.extract

Consider also that there are over 900 studies showing serious side effects of statin drugs and many other dangers related to their use:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/07/20/the-truth-about-statin-drugs-revealed.aspx

Then get back to the heart of the issue for the "use of statins" - cholesterol lowering and consider the work of Uffe Ravnskov who decimated the idea:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/12/05/Does-High-Cholesterol-REALLY-Cause-Heart-Disease.aspx

When it comes down to it Dr. Davis there are hundreds of thousands of victims of the medical communities "practice" of medicine and millions who owe their deaths or the death of their loved ones to the ignorance of the medical community to use available information and long ago written pieces on safer more effective methods of care for a patient - Max Gerson wrote on cancer cures back in the 50's and yet he is ridiculed by ignorant doctors who sell expensive non-cures to their cancer patients - these patients are numbered by the uncontested study of Gary Null, PhD and Carolyn Dean, M.D., et al - "Death By Medicine" http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2004/mar2004_awsi_death_01.htm

Kudos for being brave Dr. Davis - but a failure to recognize the damage done by medicine as practiced in America will result in an unwillingness to change - and cause the continued deaths of over 1 MILLION PEOPLE PER YEAR AT THE HANDS OF MAINSTREAM MEDICINE - people following medical advice, in institutions - not on their own and not following medical advice.

Anonymous lipidologist--

I'd love to hear more about your perspective. Rarely do we hear directly from the "inside."

I've suspected as much about the NLA, but wasn't sure. Judging by the prescribing habits of the lipidology community, I figured that "education" was slanted in this direction.

Maybe you have the same thinking pattern, Dr Davis. You speak of "inherited" yet continue with "dietary intervention". It's not inherited when the solution is to stop eating what causes it. It might have a genetic factor but only because our genes are not adapted to eating that crap. That trigs can go as high as 1000 mg merely shows that some have an extreme response to the same stimuli, not that their genes are somewhat less adapted to eating the same crap. The others who's trigs still go up but not as high aren't adapted either, they're just sturdier.

It's like comparing strong vs weak. He's not strong because he's got good genes. He's strong because he lifted heavy weights for 10 years. The other guy just didn't bother to do that. Ergo, one guy can lift heavy weights today while the other can't lift the same heavy weights today. But back when they were both weak, neither could lift heavy weights.

In the same line with diet and trigs. His trigs don't go high because of his genes. His trigs go that high because he's been eating more crap for longer than the other guy. But back when neither was eating so much crap, they had the same response amplitude to the same stimuli, i.e. they were both weak.

I'm just saying.

So I have a family history of heart problems. My father had his first heart attack at age 49 and it was similar to mine in symptoms and artery. He wasn't eating a healthy diet as I was and he wasn't in the shape I was either as I kept myself fit. Yet I had my heart attack at age 52, just 3 years difference. Coincidence? Now my cardiologist says that I don't fall into the same guidelines as everyone else as far as cholesterol etc. Is this true? Does family history make me a special case? Diet and exercise didn't work for me the first time around.

Dr. Davis I have been following your blog with interest as I am trying to combat high LDL as much as possible via diet (low carb)  and exercise.  I am female, age 48 with early menopause, hypertension under control with lisinopril, and TSH normal. My HDL averages 85, triglycerides average 45 (stable over 10 years), but my LDL particles have ranged from 1600 to 2000 over this last year, corresponding to LDL of 160 to 200.  LDL seems to go up on low carb for me, while my HDL and triglycerides are fine  with or without diet intervention.  The NMR indicates that I am highly insulin sensitive, with the type "A" profile. My endocronoligist has been willing to work with me regarding diet and exercise but we have seen little change, and he now thinks that I really need to go on a statin.  I just had my arterial wall thickness measured, which showed no signs of plaque or narrowing. My CRP has been elevated but is going down ( I am also recovering from plantar fascitis -- so it is not clear what is causal here), and I take 1 81 mg aspirin a day.  He has not pursued genetic testing, due to costs (other than lipo A which is fine), but believes that my high LDL is genetic.  My grandfather had a non-fatal heart attack, and both sides of the family have high cholesterol.   I will keep working at exercise (I need to take off 10 to ideally 20 pounds more).

Would you please comment  more on the best diets for various genetic  causes for LDL?  Even within the low carb group there seem to be so many variations.  Are there situations where statins should be used in women?

Thanks!

@Anonymous LDL
You're numbers look good.  Stop worrying about the LDL so much.
Looks like you are following a good diet as long as you are avoiding veg oils.  I highly suggest reading some cholesterol books like the one by Uffe Ravnskov.

Anonymous with lipoproteins--

Allow me to make one point: Calculated LDL will often misleadingly go up with a low-carbohydrate diet. This is GOOD.

It means that LDL size is increasing. But it provides the false impression of an increasing calculated LDL. That's why a repeat measure by NMR LDL particle number or apoprotein B is required.

I agree that not enough doctors think deeply enough about what they are doing.

Reminds me of the old saying, 'Whenever you see a doctor lost in thought its usually because he's in unfamiliar territory'

Great comments.

NPA is most definitely a front for the drug companies.  I've attended many of there scientific meetings and most of what I hear is brainwashing at it's best.  I once had a discusstion with the group head and told him how I felt about their pro-statin bias and he couldn't even fathom where I was coming from he was in so deep.  When I presented my concerns about low LDL and cancer, he actually spouted off some industry funded research indicating that statins actually lowered cancer risk.  Unbelievable....

It's easy to be an unwitting puppet when it's making you lots and lots of cash.

Hell I'd even do it if I didn't have morals.