In this 120th episode I discuss what I believe are shenanigans that permeate the pharmaceutical world and drive drug sales. For the purposes of this episode I focus on Statin therapy medications, though tricks like this are not rare in the system.

I will discuss a little about how Statin medications work to lower Cholesterol, some common side effects and nutrient depletion they often cause, and I attempt to explain how certain statistical tricks are used to hoodwink and manipulate a person's belief of the benefits of Statin medications.

References:

Have the benefits of statins been overstated?

https://www1.racgp.org.au/newsgp/clinical/have-the-benefits-of-statins-been-

overstated#:~:text=The%20relative%20risk%20reduction%20for%20those%20taking,str

oke%20was%200.8%%2C%201.3%%20and%200.4%%20respectively.

Evaluating the Association Between Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Reduction and

Relative and Absolute Effects of Statin Treatment: A Systematic Review and Meta-

analysis

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2790055

Communicating clinical trial outcomes: Effects of presentation method on physicians’

evaluations of new treatments

Chrome-

extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://sjdm.org/journal/12/12913/jdm129

13.pdf

Statin side effects: Weigh the benefits and risks

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-cholesterol/in-depth/statin-

side-effects/art-

20046013#:~:text=Neurological%20side%20effects,talking%20to%20your%20healthcar

e%20professional.

The case for statins: has it really been made?

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1079612/