STATIN NATION (The Book)

Reviews

"A complete and authoritative explanation of the causes of heart disease. Smith's presentation explains why statin therapy is ineffective and dangerous, and why the cholesterol hypothesis is obsolete and disproven by scientific evidence. This book fills an important need for a comprehensive explanation of the pharmaceutical industry's efforts to profit from statin drugs, of the trivial effect on prevention of heart disease by these drugs, and of their serious toxic side effects. More importantly, the book describes the true causes of heart disease and emphasizes optimal nutrition as the correct approach to prevention."--Kilmer McCully, MD, author of The Heart Revolution

"This book amalgamates and updates the author's two Statin Nation documentaries, which are also highly recommended. It provides a succinct but comprehensive discussion of the fallacies of the lipid hypothesis of coronary heart disease. It explains why neither cholesterol nor saturated fats cause heart attacks and why there is no such thing as "good" or "bad" cholesterol. Abundant references for those who want additional information."--Paul J. Rosch, MD, clinical professor of medicine and psychiatry, New York Medical College; chairman of the board, The American Institute of Stress

"Our utmost wealth is our health. Accordingly, Statin Nation demonstrates that lifestyle changes are the cornerstone of good cardiovascular health, and that the supposed benefits of widely used heart medicine--lauded by industry-sponsored research--are based on flawed science. I concur with Justin in this effort to warn our population about the dangers of statin drugs."--Sherif Sultan, PhD, professor of vascular surgery, National University of Ireland; president, International Society for Vascular Surgery

"In my experience, statin drugs are the number one cause of iatrogenic (doctor-caused) disease in the United States. For those who want proof, I suggest they read Statin Nation. Justin Smith doesn't fall for the usual "coronary artery plaque is the only cause of heart disease" mantra. That theory--and its attendant drugs, stents, and bypasses--has been a boondoggle for the medical-industrial complex but not so helpful for people. In Statin Nation, Smith carefully and accurately assesses this misguided theory, comes to more well founded conclusions, and helps his readers find their way to more productive approaches to preventing and treating heart disease. Well done."--Thomas Cowan, MD, author of Human Heart, Cosmic Heart

Synopsis

Heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide, and for decades conventional health authorities have pushed that the culprits are fat and cholesterol clogging up coronary arteries. Consequently, lowering cholesterol has become a hugely lucrative business, and cholesterol-lowering Statin drugs are now the most prescribed medication in the world, with clinical data showing one billion people eligible for prescription. However, these cholesterol guidelines have been heavily criticized, and increasingly, doctors and researchers have been questioning the role cholesterol plays in heart disease. We now know that people with heart disease often do not, in fact, have high cholesterol, and even the strongest supporters of the cholesterol hypothesis now admit that no ideal level of cholesterol can be identified.

Large-scale studies have proven that statins are not generating the benefits that were predicted, and new research shows that high cholesterol may actually prevent heart disease. Worse still, millions of people in the United States and worldwide are taking statins preventatively, at great cost to their health. A complete reevaluation of the real causes of heart disease is long overdue, not to mention an inquiry into why the pharmaceutical industry continues to overprescribe statins (and market them aggressively to consumers) despite this evidence.

Statin Nation offers a new understanding of heart disease, and Justin Smith forges an innovative path away from the outdated cholesterol myth with a viable alternative model to address the real causes of heart disease. Statin Nation provides detailed examinations of nutritional alternatives that are up to six times more effective than statins, and other interventions that have been shown to be up to eleven times more effective than statins. But all of these methods are currently ignored by health authorities. Smith provides a heart disease prevention plan that anyone can use, providing hope for the future of heart-disease treatment with a purpose.