| LA JOLLA CHIROPRACTIC HEALTH CENTER |
Doctor Michael Ackerman helps patients to understand and release the emotional stress patterns underlying their physical problems and
disease. Dr. Michael Ackerman has been in practice as a chiropractor in La Jolla, California, for 11 years of his 23 years in practice. Being
a La Jolla Chiropractor has been extremely rewarding for Dr. Michael Ackerman, and he is unique among the chiropractic doctors in La
Jolla in that he has worked with professional athletic teams, such as the New Orleans Saints, the Delta Festival Ballet Company, as well
as collegiate and amateur athletes from most sports backgrounds. Dr. Michael Ackerman enjoys practicing as a chiropractor by the sea in
such a beautiful town as La Jolla, California, but he also does healing consultations by phone with people from all over the country.
disease. Dr. Michael Ackerman has been in practice as a chiropractor in La Jolla, California, for 11 years of his 23 years in practice. Being
a La Jolla Chiropractor has been extremely rewarding for Dr. Michael Ackerman, and he is unique among the chiropractic doctors in La
Jolla in that he has worked with professional athletic teams, such as the New Orleans Saints, the Delta Festival Ballet Company, as well
as collegiate and amateur athletes from most sports backgrounds. Dr. Michael Ackerman enjoys practicing as a chiropractor by the sea in
such a beautiful town as La Jolla, California, but he also does healing consultations by phone with people from all over the country.
What you may not know about Statin Drugs
Statin Drugs have many side effects you may not be aware of:
While these drugs lower the risk of heart disease, Statin drug users don’t have an overall lower
mortality rate! Instead of dying from heart disease, death rates actually increase from other causes
and drug-induced side effects, for example…
1- Cancer rates increase since Statin drugs lower the production of a compound called
NFicB in white blood cells, which would otherwise act to fight cancers.
2- In lowering cholesterol, Statins also lower the body’s Vitamin D levels. Thus you need
an extra 1000 IU Vit D per day, or about 2-3000 IU total daily supplementation of Vitamin D3,
if you are on Statin Drugs…
This Vit D deficiency is associated with an increased risk of…
- 22 types of cancer including breast, colon, and prostate
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Hypertension
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Type I Diabetes
- Chronic Pain Syndromes (90 percent of people with chronic non-specific
pain have Vitamin D deficiency!)
3- Statin Drugs also lower Coenzyme Q10 production
Thus you need to supplement a costly additional 500-600 mg CoQ10 per day.
Due to this Co Q10 production deficiency…
- Statin drugs end up destroying connective tissue
- Statin users have a 14X greater likelihood of peripheral neuropathy
“pinched nerves” throughout their bodies
- 2 years on Statin drugs increase the likelihood of a peripheral neuropathy
by about 26X !
- Note: If you take Coenzyme Q10 with any diabetes medication, beware
that t has a further blood sugar lowering effect, consult your doctor or
pharmacist first!
4- Statin Drug use may lead to Liver Failure
5- Statin Drugs are linked with an increased likelihood of Multiple Sclerosis
6- Statin Drugs may cause transient Global Amnesia & Permanent Memory Loss
A large study funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (a part of the National Institute
of Health) which looked at sleep patterns of people who took the statin drug Zocor or Simvastatin
found they had significantly worse sleep quality compared with people who took Pravachol or
pravastatin, another non-Statin type of cholesterol-lowering drug. "The findings are significant
because sleep problems can affect the quality of life and may have adverse health consequences,
such as promoting weight gain and insulin resistance," said Dr. Beatrice Golomb, of the University of
California at San Diego School of Medicine.
Strangely, Statin drugs work to help fight heart disease more as a result of their property
of lowering inflammation in the body, versus their other property of lowering cholesterol
in the body!
While they lower bad cholesterol “LDL” levels, they don’t raise good cholesterol “HDL”
levels, and this doesn't create an ideal health picture. So if a person wishes to achieve the same
inflammation lowering effect as Statin drugs, while greatly lowering LDL levels and raising HDL
levels, the following supplements (especially combined with diet and exercise), may
be better alternatives--without all of the dangerous side effects discussed above…
- Omega 3 fatty acids, found in fish oils. They are 44% better at reducing overall
mortality vs. Statin drugs. A supplement should contain 2400 mg of EPA and 1200 mg
of DHA total per day. For quality and price, I recommend Puritan's Pride "Highly concentrated
Fish Oil" from www.puritan.com or GNC's "Triple Strength Fish Oil" supplements to my patients--
5 capsules/day with meals. (Fish oils thin your blood and should not be taken at this dosage
if you are taking aspirin, ibuprofen, any other anti-inflammatory drugs, or blood thinners.)**
- “Ruby Red” Grapefruit - research has shown that eating one per day gives you nearly the
equivalent cholesterol lowering effect that Statin drugs have. (SOURCE: Gorinstein, S. Journal of
Agricultural and Food Chemistry, Feb. 3, 2006; online edition. News release, American Chemical Society.)
- Psyllium husk fiber (10 gm/day) and/or Ground Flax seed (50 gm/day)
- Gum Goggul 75/100 mg/day can produce a cholesterol reduction of 14 % to 27% in 4-12
weeks, in addition to a 22% to 30% drop in blood triglyceride levels for patients with
hypercholesterolemia and/or hypertriglyceridemia.
- Policosanol 10-20 mg / day can decrease your LDL cholesterol between 17% and 25%,
and raise HDL levels up to 29% -- better than Statins which don’t raise HDL's
Eliminate excess Cholesterol, Saturated Fats, and Partially Hydrogenated Oils
(containing Trans fat) from your diet…
Most people could achieve a cholesterol level of 150-180 by just adopting a low fat diet with a daily
ingestion of no more than…
7-15 grams (65-135 calories) of saturated fat, and
150-200 mg of cholesterol
Although saturated fat is the main dietary culprit that raises LDL, trans fat and cholesterol eaten in
your diet also contribute significantly. Trans fat can often be found in processed foods made with
partially hydrogenated vegetable oils such as vegetable shortenings, some margarines especially
margarines that are harder), crackers, candies, cookies, snack foods, fried foods, and baked goods
Read labels which now are required to list the types of fat content in foods. The daily intake of about
5 g of trans fat is associated with a 25% increase in the risk of coronary artery disease.
Add Cardiovascular Exercise – 25 to 40 minutes, 3x per week, at least at 75% of your maximum
heart rate level, i.e., (220-Your Age) X .75 = target heart rate. This frequency and intensity has
been shown to increase HDLs and lower LDLs. If you are out of shape, start training at a lower heart
rate level, for less time, and gradually build up to a 75% max heart rate level. A good rule of thumb
is never exercise at a sustained level which has you breathing so hard that you cannot carry on a
normal conversation. Consult your doctor before beginning any exercise program on you own!
In a revealing article, “The Case for Statins: Has it Really Been Made?” Journal of the Royal
Society of Medicine, October 2004; Volume 97, Number 10, pp. 461-464, the authors state:
The ‘positive’ outcomes of statin research studies “have been magnified by the manner of presentation
of results...” For example, in a study where 100 patients take statin drugs, 2 will have a fatal heart
attack. Out of 100 patients taking a placebo, 3 will have a fatal heart attack. The absolute risk
reduction of a heart attack is thus clearly only 1 percent. Yet the drug company spins the pathetic
results by dividing 2/3 and publishing the relative risk, which is a 33 percent reduction of a fatal heart
attack! This is intentionally misleading and dishonest. The authors of this article claim that an honest
disclosure from the pharmaceutical companies, based on available research to date, would be to state
that “if you take statins then, in seven years time, there is a 1 chance in about 120 that your
death will have been prevented.”
In other words, would you take a medication with all the costs and dangerous side effects of Statin Drugs, if
you knew that there was only less than a 1% likelihood it would prevent you from dying a premature death?
- Compiled by Dr. Michael Ackerman, D.C., La Jolla, CA
- Although Statin Drugs may achieve a 30-50% decrease in your LDL cholesterol, please thoroughly
consult with your medical doctor and do more research about all of your alternative therapies.
Statin Drugs have many side effects you may not be aware of:
While these drugs lower the risk of heart disease, Statin drug users don’t have an overall lower
mortality rate! Instead of dying from heart disease, death rates actually increase from other causes
and drug-induced side effects, for example…
1- Cancer rates increase since Statin drugs lower the production of a compound called
NFicB in white blood cells, which would otherwise act to fight cancers.
2- In lowering cholesterol, Statins also lower the body’s Vitamin D levels. Thus you need
an extra 1000 IU Vit D per day, or about 2-3000 IU total daily supplementation of Vitamin D3,
if you are on Statin Drugs…
This Vit D deficiency is associated with an increased risk of…
- 22 types of cancer including breast, colon, and prostate
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Hypertension
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Type I Diabetes
- Chronic Pain Syndromes (90 percent of people with chronic non-specific
pain have Vitamin D deficiency!)
3- Statin Drugs also lower Coenzyme Q10 production
Thus you need to supplement a costly additional 500-600 mg CoQ10 per day.
Due to this Co Q10 production deficiency…
- Statin drugs end up destroying connective tissue
- Statin users have a 14X greater likelihood of peripheral neuropathy
“pinched nerves” throughout their bodies
- 2 years on Statin drugs increase the likelihood of a peripheral neuropathy
by about 26X !
- Note: If you take Coenzyme Q10 with any diabetes medication, beware
that t has a further blood sugar lowering effect, consult your doctor or
pharmacist first!
4- Statin Drug use may lead to Liver Failure
5- Statin Drugs are linked with an increased likelihood of Multiple Sclerosis
6- Statin Drugs may cause transient Global Amnesia & Permanent Memory Loss
A large study funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (a part of the National Institute
of Health) which looked at sleep patterns of people who took the statin drug Zocor or Simvastatin
found they had significantly worse sleep quality compared with people who took Pravachol or
pravastatin, another non-Statin type of cholesterol-lowering drug. "The findings are significant
because sleep problems can affect the quality of life and may have adverse health consequences,
such as promoting weight gain and insulin resistance," said Dr. Beatrice Golomb, of the University of
California at San Diego School of Medicine.
Strangely, Statin drugs work to help fight heart disease more as a result of their property
of lowering inflammation in the body, versus their other property of lowering cholesterol
in the body!
While they lower bad cholesterol “LDL” levels, they don’t raise good cholesterol “HDL”
levels, and this doesn't create an ideal health picture. So if a person wishes to achieve the same
inflammation lowering effect as Statin drugs, while greatly lowering LDL levels and raising HDL
levels, the following supplements (especially combined with diet and exercise), may
be better alternatives--without all of the dangerous side effects discussed above…
- Omega 3 fatty acids, found in fish oils. They are 44% better at reducing overall
mortality vs. Statin drugs. A supplement should contain 2400 mg of EPA and 1200 mg
of DHA total per day. For quality and price, I recommend Puritan's Pride "Highly concentrated
Fish Oil" from www.puritan.com or GNC's "Triple Strength Fish Oil" supplements to my patients--
5 capsules/day with meals. (Fish oils thin your blood and should not be taken at this dosage
if you are taking aspirin, ibuprofen, any other anti-inflammatory drugs, or blood thinners.)**
- “Ruby Red” Grapefruit - research has shown that eating one per day gives you nearly the
equivalent cholesterol lowering effect that Statin drugs have. (SOURCE: Gorinstein, S. Journal of
Agricultural and Food Chemistry, Feb. 3, 2006; online edition. News release, American Chemical Society.)
- Psyllium husk fiber (10 gm/day) and/or Ground Flax seed (50 gm/day)
- Gum Goggul 75/100 mg/day can produce a cholesterol reduction of 14 % to 27% in 4-12
weeks, in addition to a 22% to 30% drop in blood triglyceride levels for patients with
hypercholesterolemia and/or hypertriglyceridemia.
- Policosanol 10-20 mg / day can decrease your LDL cholesterol between 17% and 25%,
and raise HDL levels up to 29% -- better than Statins which don’t raise HDL's
Eliminate excess Cholesterol, Saturated Fats, and Partially Hydrogenated Oils
(containing Trans fat) from your diet…
Most people could achieve a cholesterol level of 150-180 by just adopting a low fat diet with a daily
ingestion of no more than…
7-15 grams (65-135 calories) of saturated fat, and
150-200 mg of cholesterol
Although saturated fat is the main dietary culprit that raises LDL, trans fat and cholesterol eaten in
your diet also contribute significantly. Trans fat can often be found in processed foods made with
partially hydrogenated vegetable oils such as vegetable shortenings, some margarines especially
margarines that are harder), crackers, candies, cookies, snack foods, fried foods, and baked goods
Read labels which now are required to list the types of fat content in foods. The daily intake of about
5 g of trans fat is associated with a 25% increase in the risk of coronary artery disease.
Add Cardiovascular Exercise – 25 to 40 minutes, 3x per week, at least at 75% of your maximum
heart rate level, i.e., (220-Your Age) X .75 = target heart rate. This frequency and intensity has
been shown to increase HDLs and lower LDLs. If you are out of shape, start training at a lower heart
rate level, for less time, and gradually build up to a 75% max heart rate level. A good rule of thumb
is never exercise at a sustained level which has you breathing so hard that you cannot carry on a
normal conversation. Consult your doctor before beginning any exercise program on you own!
In a revealing article, “The Case for Statins: Has it Really Been Made?” Journal of the Royal
Society of Medicine, October 2004; Volume 97, Number 10, pp. 461-464, the authors state:
The ‘positive’ outcomes of statin research studies “have been magnified by the manner of presentation
of results...” For example, in a study where 100 patients take statin drugs, 2 will have a fatal heart
attack. Out of 100 patients taking a placebo, 3 will have a fatal heart attack. The absolute risk
reduction of a heart attack is thus clearly only 1 percent. Yet the drug company spins the pathetic
results by dividing 2/3 and publishing the relative risk, which is a 33 percent reduction of a fatal heart
attack! This is intentionally misleading and dishonest. The authors of this article claim that an honest
disclosure from the pharmaceutical companies, based on available research to date, would be to state
that “if you take statins then, in seven years time, there is a 1 chance in about 120 that your
death will have been prevented.”
In other words, would you take a medication with all the costs and dangerous side effects of Statin Drugs, if
you knew that there was only less than a 1% likelihood it would prevent you from dying a premature death?
- ** Be Sure to Never Discontinue Prescription Drugs,
Begin Nutritional & Even Natural Therapies,
or Begin an Exercise Program
Without the Advice of your Doctor **