Do you own a mini drugstore at home?

One of my favorite sites to visit is the Maximized Living website. There are a lot of information on the website about different health topics that goes on. It's a great resource to learn ways to take care of yourself without succumbing to the medical model. I have learned and hope that all of our readers out there will that sometimes even so someone says one thing we should always learn more about it then make our decision.

This time the article that caught my attention is on Cholesterol medication. "Is this Malicious Health Scandal Stealing Your Money?" Prescription drugs hit home with me because both of my parents are taking pills every day to keep "healthy" but it seems every few months instead of taking less pills they are taking more and more. My mother has a shoe box of bottles and among them includes cholesterol pills.  Wouldn't you think it's a concern when the drugs are piling up at home and not dwindling down?

Another interesting article that I found in regards to statins was at Dr. Mercola's website.  It was about 11 Dangerous Statins. After reading this article it makes me realize that majority drugs out there have side effects which causes more problems. These problems are countered by adding more pills to the mix. In the end we end up with a drug cocktail. Oh yummy! "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."

To be fair I read an article by Mayo Clinic about Cholesterol-lowering drugs. One statement caught my attention "If the only risk factor you have is high cholesterol, you may not need medication because your risk of heart attack and stroke could otherwise be low. High cholesterol is only one of a number of risk factors for heart attack and stroke." So even the doctors at Mayo Clinic admits that High cholesterol does not indicate that you are at high risk for heart problems. So high cholesterol does not mean you need to take a statin to lower it.

They posted a list of other risk factors that comes into play for if you are in risk of heart disease:


Other risk factors
Before you're prescribed a statin, your cholesterol level is considered along with other risk factors for cardiovascular disease, including:

• Family history of high cholesterol or cardiovascular disease
• Inactive (sedentary) lifestyle
• High blood pressure
• Age older than 55 if you're a man, or older than 65 if you're a woman
• Poor general health
• Having diabetes
• Overweight or obesity
• Smoking
• Narrowing of the arteries in your neck, arms or legs (peripheral artery disease)

  I am ultimately impressed because not many people think about the whole picture. We are living in a society of people who want the instant cure. The pill to make you skinny. The pill to make your pains go away. The pill to make you pretty, etc.

There are so many ways we can take care of ourselves and lower our risk for heart disease. Why must we be lazy about it then blame the health care system if we fail. It is our own undoing. Watch what you eat. Go out and exercise. Our body is our own business, you only get one. Take care of it today.