1/8/2018 TV Ads for Statins Drive Overdiagnosis and Overtreatment

TV Ads for Statins Drive Overdiagnosis and Overtreatment

According to Study

Story at-a-glance -
 For the last 16 years, the United States is one of only two countries that allows drugs to be advertised
on TV. A new study assessing the effect of direct-to-consumer drug advertising concluded that TV ads
for statins may be a driving factor of overdiagnosis of high cholesterol and overtreatment with the drugs

 Those who reported seeing statin ads on TV were 16-20 percent more likely to be diagnosed with high
cholesterol, and 16-22 percent more likely to be using a statin drug

 Both the diagnosis of high cholesterol and increased statin use was driven almost exclusively by those
who were at LOW risk for future cardiac events. Conversely, those at high risk of heart disease were not
more likely to be taking a statin after seeing the commercials

 A previous study showed that pharmaceutical companies spend nearly TWICE as much on marketing in
the US as they do on research and development of new drugs, which helps explain why Americans also
pay twice as much as other nations for the identical drugs

By Dr. Mercola

The United States is one of only two countries, the other being New Zealand, that allows
drugs to be advertised on TV, and it’s not difficult to understand why nearly every other
country has given such ads the boot.

As with all commercials, the ads are intended to influence you to buy their products. In
the case of prescription medications, the “product” is a potentially dangerous chemical
drug that is loaded with side effects.

In a 2009 Harris Poll, 51 percent said that drug ads encourage them to ask questions
when they go to their doctor, and a whopping 44 percent actually believe drug ads make
them more knowledgeable about treatments for their ailments.

Now, a new study assessing the effect of direct-to-consumer drug advertising has
concluded that TV ads for statins may be a driving factor of overdiagnosis of high
cholesterol and overtreatment with the drugs.1

The reason is clear. People who dutifully ask their doctors about a drug advertised on TV
usually end up receiving a prescription...

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Is it any wonder then that one in four Americans over the age of 45 is now taking a statin
drug, despite the fact that there are over 900 studies proving their adverse effects, which
run the gamut from muscle problems to diabetes and increased cancer risk.

Odds are likely greater than 100 to 1 that if you're taking a statin, you don't really need it.
The ONLY subgroup that might benefit are those born with a genetic defect called
familial hypercholesterolemia, as this makes them resistant to traditional measures of
normalizing cholesterol.

TV Ads for Statins Drive Overdiagnosis and Overtreatment

To determine the relationship between estimated exposure to direct-to-consumer
advertising for statin drugs and two clinical variables: diagnosis with high cholesterol and
statin use, the featured study, published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine,2
used logistic regression to analyze repeated cross-sectional surveys of more than
106,000 Americans, merged with data on the frequency of ads appearing on national,
cable, and local television, between 2001 and 2007. Interestingly, those who reported
seeing statin ads on TV were:

16-20 percent more likely to be diagnosed with high cholesterol

16-22 percent more likely to be using a statin drug

That’s quite a boost in diagnosis and treatment, and proof positive that advertising
works, even when you’re selling something with greater potential harms than benefits, as
is the case with statins.

Tellingly, both the diagnosis of high cholesterol and increased statin use was driven
almost exclusively by those who were at LOW risk for future cardiac events, indicating
that overdiagnosis and unnecessary drug treatment is quite real. Conversely, those at
high risk of heart disease were not more likely to be taking a statin after seeing the
commercials. According to the authors:

"Our findings raise questions about the extent to which direct-to-consumer

advertising may promote over-diagnosis and over-treatment for populations
where risks may outweigh potential benefits. In addition, we found no
evidence of favorable associations between exposure to statins in television
advertisements and statin use among those at high risk for future cardiac
events."

Turning People into Patients — At YOUR Expense

The 1997 change in direct-to-consumer advertising laws unleashed an avalanche of drug
commercials. Two years later, the average American was exposed to nine prescription

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drug TV ads every day. Between 1994 and 2000, TV drug ads increased 40-fold.3

In 2005, two of the top four most heavily promoted drugs were cholesterol-lowering
medications. In that year alone, Merck/Schering-Plough spent $161.5 million on ads for
Vytorin, and AstraZeneca spent $158.6 million advertising Crestor — down from the
$212 million4 they spent the year before.

In all, pharmaceutical companies spend an estimated $4 billion a year on these types of

consumer marketing campaigns in the US, so you can bet they’re getting a hefty portion
of this expense back in the form of increased profits.

No doubt you’ve heard that drugs cost so much because it’s expensive to perform
research and development of new drugs. Yet pharmaceutical companies spend nearly
TWICE as much on marketing in the US as they do on R&D! This finding was published
in the journal PloS Medicine in 2008.5 According to the authors:

“From this new estimate, it appears that pharmaceutical companies spend

almost twice as much on promotion as they do on R&D. These numbers
clearly show how promotion predominates over R&D in the
pharmaceutical industry, contrary to the industry's claim.

While the amount spent on promotion is not in itself a confirmation of

Kefauver's depiction of the pharmaceutical industry, it confirms the public
image of a marketing-driven industry and provides an important
argument to petition in favor of transforming the workings of the
industry in the direction of more research and less promotion.”
[Emphasis mine]

The US is, by far, the largest market for pharmaceuticals in the world, representing
around 43 percent of global sales. This is in part due to Americans being grossly
overcharged. As I recently reported, Americans pay TWICE the price compared to other
countries for the identical drugs.6

Well, here’s part of the answer to the question why: You’re paying for their direct-to-
consumer advertising, which is illegal everywhere else (with the exception of New
Zealand).

Aside from their inherently misleading nature, and the fact that they dramatically increase
drug prices, direct-to-consumer drug ads like those on TV often plant a seed in your
mind that you may be sick. Drug companies are masters at disease mongering --
inventing non-existent diseases and exaggerating minor ones, with the end result making
you rush to your doctor to request their drug solutions. It also misleads people into
thinking drugs are the only option for every ill. If you think about it, a child who grows up

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seeing these ads is clearly going to be indoctrinated to turn to a drug when something
goes wrong, unless he or she receives a different education from some other source.

Effective Statin Ads Place Millions of Americans at Risk of Serious Health

Problems
Statins are HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, that is, they act by blocking the enzyme in
your liver that is responsible for making cholesterol (HMG-CoA reductase). The fact that
statin drugs cause side effects is well established — there are now 900 studies proving
their adverse effects, which run the gamut from muscle problems to increased cancer
risk.

Please note that statins are classified as a "pregnancy Category X medication" meaning,
it causes serious birth defects, and should NEVER be used by a woman who is pregnant
or planning a pregnancy. If it is prescribed, it is simply gross negligence and malpractice.

Statins have also been shown to increase your risk of diabetes, via a number of different
mechanisms. The most important one is that they increase insulin resistance, which can
be extremely harmful to your health. Increased insulin resistance contributes to chronic
inflammation in your body, and inflammation is the hallmark of most diseases.

In fact, increased insulin resistance can lead to heart disease, which, ironically, is the
primary reason for taking a cholesterol-reducing drug in the first place. It can also
promote belly fat, high blood pressure, heart attacks, chronic fatigue, thyroid disruption,
and diseases like Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and cancer.

Secondly, statins increase your diabetes risk by actually raising your blood sugar. When
you eat a meal that contains starches and sugar, some of the excess sugar goes to your
liver, which then stores it away as cholesterol and triglycerides. Statins work by
preventing your liver from making cholesterol. As a result, your liver returns the sugar to
your bloodstream, which raises your blood sugar levels.

Drug-induced diabetes and genuine type 2 diabetes are not necessarily identical. If
you're on a statin drug and find that your blood glucose is elevated, it's possible that
what you have is just hyperglycemia — a side effect, and the result of your medication.
Unfortunately, many doctors will at that point mistakenly diagnose you with "type 2
diabetes," and possibly prescribe another drug, when all you may need to do is simply
discontinue the statin in order for your blood glucose levels to revert back to normal.

Statin drugs also interfere with other biological functions. Of utmost importance, statins
deplete your body of CoQ10, which accounts for many of its devastating results.
Therefore, if you take a statin, you must take supplemental CoQ10, or better, the
reduced form called ubiquinol. Statins also interfere with the mevalonate pathway, which

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is the central pathway for the steroid management in your body. Products of this pathway
that are negatively affected by statins include:

All your sex hormones

Cortisone
The dolichols, which are involved in keeping the membranes inside your cells
healthy
All sterols, including cholesterol and vitamin D (which is similar to cholesterol and is
produced from cholesterol in your skin)

Ninety-Nine Out of 100 People Do Not Need Statin Drugs

That these drugs have proliferated the market the way they have is a testimony to the
effectiveness of direct-to-consumer marketing, corruption and corporate greed, because
the odds are very high — greater than 1000 to 1 — that if you're taking a statin, you don't
really need it. From my review, the ONLY subgroup that might benefit are those born with
a genetic defect called familial hypercholesterolemia, as this makes them resistant to
traditional measures of normalizing cholesterol.

Even more importantly, cholesterol is NOT the cause of heart disease. If your physician
is urging you to check your total cholesterol, then you should know that this test will tell
you virtually nothing about your risk of heart disease, unless it is 330 or higher. HDL
percentage is a far more potent indicator for heart disease risk. Here are the two ratios
you should pay attention to:

1. HDL/Total Cholesterol Ratio: Should ideally be above 24 percent. If below 10

percent, you have a significantly elevated risk for heart disease.
2. Triglyceride/HDL Ratio: Should be below 2.

I have seen a number of people with total cholesterol levels over 250 who were actually
at low risk for heart disease due to their elevated HDL levels. Conversely, I have seen
many people with cholesterol levels under 200 who had a very high risk of heart disease,
based on their low HDL. NMR testing is another important new lipid assessment you can
now take to determine your risk for heart disease.

Remember, your body NEEDS cholesterol — it is important in the production of cell

membranes, hormones, vitamin D and bile acids that help you to digest fat. Cholesterol
also helps your brain form memories and is vital to your neurological function. There is
also strong evidence that having too little cholesterol INCREASES your risk for cancer,
memory loss, Parkinson's disease, hormonal imbalances, stroke, depression, suicide,
and violent behavior.

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To learn more about statins, please see my special report: Do YOU Take Any of These
11 Dangerous Cholesterol Drugs?

Turn Off the Tube and Tune in to Your Body’s Innate Wisdom
These ads are now on your TV, in magazines and on the Internet, so it’s difficult to
eliminate your exposure. What you can do, however, is keep a healthy air of skepticism
about you whenever you do see a drug commercial. Really listen to the side effects and
ask yourself if cancer is an acceptable risk for a drug to treat an embarrassing skin
condition, for example.

If you think you might need the drug, first seek out an unbiased source of information to
see if you truly do. The internet can frequently be a helpful tool here.

Also check for the truth about side effects. The average drug comes with a list of 70
potential reactions, according to researchers who used a computer program to analyze
5,600 drug labels. If you take one of the more commonly prescribed drugs, the potential
drug reactions rise to about 100 -- and some drugs even carry over 500. Given that, it’s
not so surprising that more than 700,000 people visit U.S. emergency rooms each year
as a result of adverse drug reactions. Not only that, but according to the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration (FDA), adverse drug reactions from drugs that are properly
prescribed and properly administered cause about 106,000 deaths per year, making
prescription drugs the fourth-leading cause of death in the US.

Polypharmacy Raises Drug Side Effects Exponentially

According to the latest statistics from the Kaiser Health Foundation,7 the average
American aged 19 to 64 now takes nearly 12 prescription drugs. The average senior is
on 28. The word 'polypharmacy' means "many drugs," and essentially refers to these
instances where an individual is taking multiple drugs -- often because more drugs are
prescribed than are clinically indicated.

This is a significant problem, as the more drugs you mix together, the greater the
chances of serious side effects. And, if the average American is taking a dozen different
prescription drugs, and the average prescription drug carries 70 side effects… do the
math! That's an average of 770 potential individual side effects but the drug to drug
interaction is far higher and is likely one to two orders of magnitude greater. To me, this
is simply unacceptable, especially considering that most drugs people take are for
conditions that can be better treated, and prevented, using natural methods.

Take Control of Your Health

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Anytime you’re considering taking a drug, whether you’ve succumbed to a seductive

drug ad or your doctor wants to prescribe one for an ailment you’ve presented, please do
remember that you carry the ultimate responsibility here. Don’t trust blindly; ask
questions about the drugs prescribed to you, such as:

Do I really need this drug?

Is it prescribed appropriately, or is it being prescribed for an off-label use?
What are the side effects?
Is it addictive?
What are the natural alternatives?

In the majority of cases, you’ll likely find that you can prevent or resolve the condition not
by taking a drug, but by following these basic tenets of optimal health:

1. Eat a healthy diet focused on fresh, whole foods (ideally organic and/or locally-
grown). Try to eat a large portion of your food raw.
You want to pay careful attention to keeping your insulin levels down, which means
avoiding sugars and grains of all kinds, and replacing the lost carbs with healthful
fats. Also be mindful of your protein sources, making sure they’re of high quality
(ideally organically-raised and pasture-fed). A high-fat, moderate protein, low-carb
diet is likely to improve the health of most people. My optimized Nutritional Plan can
guide you, whether you’re at a beginner’s or advanced level.

2. Consume healthy fat. The science is loud and clear on this point: omega-3 fats are
essential for optimal health. Unfortunately most fish commercially available today
are polluted with mercury, PCBs and other toxic substances, which is why I
recommend you take a supplement like krill oil instead of getting it from your food.
Other healthy fats include coconut oil, avocados, olives, olive oil, butter and
macadamia nuts. All these fats are low in protein and carbs and will not impair
insulin, leptin or mTOR.
3. Make clean, pure water your primary beverage, and steer clear of all sweetened
and/or flavored beverages, including those that contain artificial sweeteners.
4. Manage your stress.
5. Exercise regularly. Ideally, you want a comprehensive fitness regimen that
includes stretching, high intensity interval training, core strengthening exercises and
strength training.
6. Get plenty of appropriate sun exposure to optimize your vitamin D levels
naturally. UV exposure also has additional health benefits beyond vitamin D
production.
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A robust and growing body of research clearly shows that vitamin D is absolutely
critical for your health. The D*Action project has been initiated by GrassrootsHealth
along with 42 leading vitamin D researchers to demonstrate how health can be
achieved right now with what’s known about vitamin D with a combination of vitamin
D measurement and health outcome tracking. To learn more, please see this recent
article.

I encourage you to participate in the D*Action Project, which has multiple concurrent
vitamin D programs going on. Not only will you be able to take control of your own
health by participating, you’ll also become part of one of the most profound public
health projects of the 21st Century. To participate, simply purchase the D*Action
Measurement Kit and follow the registration instructions included. As a participant,
you agree to test your vitamin D levels twice a year during a five year program, and
share your health status to demonstrate the public health impact of this nutrient.
There is a $65 fee each 6 months for your sponsorship of the project, which includes
a test kit to be used at home, and electronic reports on your ongoing progress. You
will get a follow up email every six months reminding you "it's time for your next test
and health survey."

7. Limit your exposure to toxins of all kinds. The number of toxic chemicals and their
sources is so large, addressing them all could easily require an entire library, but I
believe you can help you keep your toxic load as low as possible by becoming an
informed and vigilant consumer. This includes tossing out your toxic household
cleaners, soaps, personal hygiene products, air fresheners, bug sprays, lawn
pesticides, and insecticides, just to name a few, and replacing them with non-toxic
alternatives.
8. Get plenty of quality sleep. Scientists have discovered that your circadian rhythms
regulate the energy levels in your cells. In addition, the proteins involved with your
circadian rhythm and metabolism are intrinsically linked and dependent upon each
other. Therefore, when your circadian rhythm is disrupted, it can have a profound
influence on your physical health. For example, research has also linked disrupted
sleep cycles to serious health problems like depression, coronary heart diseases,
and even cancer.
If you have any kind of sleep problem, whether you’re having trouble falling asleep
or staying asleep, my article 33 Secrets to a Good Night's Sleep is packed with great
tips to help you finally get some good rest.

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It Takes Personal Involvement to Stay Healthy in a Sick System

Ultimately, it's your body, and the decision to medicate yourself for an ailment is yours
alone. However, I urge you to research any drug your doctor prescribes before you take
it. Do not just take your doctor's word for its safety. Most physicians have little
information to offer you aside from what they've been told by their drug reps.

Also remember that no drug is completely safe. Even under the BEST circumstances --
such as with a drug that has gone through unbiased, stringent, long-term testing --
anything can happen when a drug is released into the uncontrolled environment of your
body. It may interact badly with another drug you're taking, or perhaps a food you eat
causes an unforeseen reaction, or maybe your genetic makeup, metabolism or the state
of your immune system will cause it to have an unpredictable impact.

Ads are intended to make you want to buy a product — they are NOT public health
announcements!

In the case of prescription medications, the “product” is a potentially dangerous chemical

that may do more harm than good. This is certainly the case with statins. One in four
Americans are now taking a statin, when the odds are greater than 100 to 1 that you
don’t need it! Please understand that unless you have familial hypercholesterolemia, you
do NOT need a drug to normalize your cholesterol. This can easily be achieved via diet
and exercise.

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