Dr. Maryanne Demasi is a former medical scientist who completed her PhD in Medicine at the University of Adelaide. Her research focused on the pathology of Rheumatoid arthritis and potential therapies. Her innovative research has appeared in several internationally published medical journals.
Leaving her lab coat behind, Maryanne accepted a position as a political advisor and speechwriter for the South Australian Minister for Science and Information technology portfolios. She advised on issues concerning Intellectual Property and commercialisation of research.
Maryanne was headhunted by the ABC ‘s Catalyst program in 2006 and gained a reputation for reporting on relevant and sometimes controversial medical stories. She has won numerous accolades for her work and in 2008, 2009 and 2011 was awarded the National Press Club of Australia’s prize for her excellence in health journalism.
64 responses to “Dr. Maryanne Demasi – ‘Statin Wars: Have we been misled by the evidence?’”
Was on Lipitor, changed to Crestor. Horrid pains. Stopped statins and sharply reduced my sucrose/fructose intake and next checkup everything was good. Sugar is the problem not fats, as far as I am concerned.
@Taco Bell what type of fast
Agreed
Discarded my statins ,my choice,I feel better,not worse.Only because of my age were they prescribed.I had two blood tests in 6 yrs.
Hello.. is it safe to stop lipitor and plavix (blood thinner) immediately for a 60 yrs old man who had heart’s bypass surgery before ??
Wrong, fats in red meat, cheese, eggs, cholesterol went from 165 eating fish to 335 in three months eating ketoish. I’m slim and active. Sat fat = sky high cholesterol
A very informative and well-delivered presentation. Such clear-thinking and honesty is a powerful remedy to the anxiety-inducing panic strategies of “big pharma” in their pursuit of profit.
Luckily I have been aware of this for decades, but this researcher lays out the facts better than most – well done!
Good to see Maryanne Demasi..been a fan of hers for ages. Love the generous and courageous Scientists and Doctors who are helping us wake up about basic principles of good health.
Agreed
I’ve been on a daily 5mg statin dose for 30 years and decided to increase the dosage to 10 mg several years ago as the 5mg wasn’t controlling it anymore. Here isthe massive load of side effects I experienced on only 10 mg/day: challenged short-term memory; increase in my blood A1C and glucose; creaky joints; a loss of dynamic strength such as getting up and down from the floor; lack of concentration; a feeling of dread upon awakening; depressive effects; lowered libido; lowered overall happiness. I had finally had enough of feeling so crappy and decided to go off of it and within 2 months I was stunned at how utterly good I felt in every way – the exact opposite of how I felt on the statin. In fact, I felt like the man that my now ex-wife married 30 years ago and very sadly only then realized how much this drug had so insidiously affected my prior relationship and overall happiness.
🙏
Within a week of going on statins, I suffered a sudden and precipitous drop in my testosterone. It was so obviously connected to the introduction of statins into my body, that I immediately took up the issue with my doctor. Unfortunately, although he was a family doctor, his specialty was pediatrics, and hence, he knew nothing of the connection. But when I did research on the internet, I found academic articles that verified the connection. Cholesterol is a necessary precursor toward the production of testosterone. Testosterone is hugely important…the most important male hormone, and not just regarding sex. Testosterone deficiency also leads to short term memory problems, sleeping problems, concentration problems, etc. I finally went off the statins and will never go back to them. Never!
I was diagnosed with metabolic syndrome and my Doctor was like a kid in a candy store and handed out Statin pills like he was on the payroll.
After two weeks of taking Statins I had what my wife, who is experienced in cardiac intensive care, said it looks like you are having a massive heart attack.
She called an ambulance and they took me to the hospital. Had problems during the trip as the ambulance attendees were giving me Nitro thinking it was a heart attack. that made things worse.
When got to Emergency the doctors diagnosed a serious heart attack and they sent me to a room for treatment. Then two cardiac specialist’s came in and declared I had a massive heart attack and they were going to treat me with surgery, exercise and diet. So we waited for the blood tests to confirm the presence of troponin T in my system.
The first test and all subsequent tests were all negative.and all the Doctors could sat after 4 days of tests, tread mills etc was it is not a cardiac problem. and they sent me home. Meanwhile they resumed my prescription of Statins.
Turns out I was severely allergic to statins. I disposed of all my prescriptions and went vegan for about a year which brought all my numbers into line. Got a new doctor that recognised what was going on. There was not enough build up anyplace in my body that the Doctors could definitely say there was any sign of blockage.
It seems one can be significantly allergic to Statins and the professionals you may deal with, while I’m sure are highly competent in their field, may not yet recognise an allergic reaction to Statins.
@Murray Swanson Like you, I was intolerant to statins – the muscle pain, fatigue etc, prevented exercise, but the most sever side effect was the memory problems and brain fog, that was pretty concerning. My cardiologist finally agreed with me after trying lower doses of less potent statins, – which still caused debilitating issues, now I manage my condition via diet/lifestyle etc. Peace – Gus 😉
My mother was on Statins, her dose was increased. She’s elderly. Her memory got progressively worse. “Dementia is normal” “Memory loss is normal” etc etc. She was about to be put in an assisted living facility. She couldn’t remember the basics. I read about Statins and memory, and the fact that cholestrol is an essential building block in memory. I stopped her Statin medication. Her memory returned comletely in 8 days. It was a miracle. NO STATINS
I’ve been on Lipitor for 12 months and have started a low carb, high fat eating plan and stopped taking it recently so will be interesting to see what my next bloods show.
@Mac Clift My aunt took one adult aspirin every day of her adult life to avoid her daily headache. She lived to be 98 years old.
In science we trust, not greedy con artists.
Hello.. is it safe to stop lipitor and plavix (blood thinner) immediately for a 60 yrs old man who had heart’s bypass surgery before ??
It’s so great to hear your mother improved and her memory returned. My mother is 75 and has been on statins for 3 years (Lipitor) and over the last few months she has suffered awful memory loss and confusion. After reading about the numerous negative side effects of statins, including memory loss and confusion, my brother and I decided to take her off them. Like you, we have even considered a care facility because her short term memory and cognition declined so much. She has been off the statins 7 days now and already in the last 2 days she seems brighter, less confused and more herself. Early days yet though we know, so we are keeping our fingers crossed that she continues to improve. I hope it’s not too personal a question but can I possibly ask how long your mother was on the statins before you discontinued them?
I am from Mexico, so confident in your words about this big business and dangerous pill. I have also read that reducing colesterol in that way affects many organs like the eyes and liver , I am convinced that one way to be healthy consists by reducing sugars. Congratulations and thank you for your splendid video.
Absolutely! Sugars and Grains and alcohol
Sugars and carbohydrates my friend.. they all turn into glucose in the body.. Look into ketogenic style of eating.
I have had many doctors insist on my taking statins. Before I knew better, I took Lipitor on one doctor’s insistence. It crippled me–I could barely walk. Never again. I later went on keto.
I had the same thing.
@gauranga1008 Yes. Slowly but surely.
Amen, me too! Went on Keto and no meds!
Know that full well , seven plus years on they are still trying to repair the damage done to me , nearly killed me , managed to keep my eyesight into the bargain and Jan this year I was told i could go for longer walks and small runs again even ride my bike , not bad for a man who could not even lift my legs or pick a tea cup up i won’t go on about the pain or blood like oil as before but someone somewhere needs to pay big time for the cholesterol con we are being fobbed off with , keep well yourself
Such an important presentation educating us about bias in medicine and media. Well done!!!
Ironic that you use the words bias, medicine and media when talking about this woman. Do some research.
I am 67 years and I have been taking statin for five years. My cholesterol levels are very low but my doctor still insisted that I should take statin. But just by common sense I stopped taking statin and I feel better; I could exercise much better and spend over 2 to 3 hours every day exercising / physical work in the fields. I stopped going to my doctor. Thanks for your video.
@kellysilliman
The answer as to why they want you to take Statins is just one word: MONEY
I stopped and felt much better..I tried it a few times.. every time I went on to statins, 10ug lipitor, I could not progress in my exercise training.. and I cramped up a lot.. I stopped and recovered .. statins do more damage than good, to healthy active folks.
Me to 👍
@opium latex i agree
Same age, taking statins a little longer. Found I could not keep a sleep schedule, was tired all the time enough to sit in front of a computer all day and half the night. Woke several times at night and didn’t feel like going back to sleep. So around 8;30AM I was wore out tired. Can only poop little balls, and not enough of them. Started taking half the statin and things improved some. Spoke to the nurse in the Dr.’s office and asked why I take these when my cholesterol levels were ok. She scared me telling me this way I won’t have a stroke. Went back to feeling like crap. Going to cut them in half for 3 months, if I improve, I am stopping them altogether.
My dad was a scientist working in a lab, working on the connection between high cholesterol & heart disease, about 40 years ago… he said that there was never a connection & every time he reported it, it was swept under the rug by his superiors. He retired as Head of mens health department at Pfizer 10 years ago
@Mike Wannenburg Please show the proof of your claim …
@37rainman you may be completely right …but this convo and video is not about diet… It is discussing if there is proof for Dr’s to put people on Statins…. Do you have the proof that statins stop people from having a heart attack?
@Hmngbrd77 I eat homemade salami (fermented pork with garlic and spices), red wine, cheese, drink REAL milk (you call it raw, right from the cow, unpasteurized), onions, sauerkraut, kolbasi (local smokehouse), horseradish, pork, beef, venison, and every fresh veggies from the garden that you can imagine….and NO drugs or processed garbage from the corporate food factories.
Did I mention I eat garlic? and ginger as well as sassafras tea from breakfast with fresh ginseng roots and eggs and bacon (garlic smoked or paprika cured). Same diet my ancestors ate…. they lived over 100 and 2 of my great-grandmothers had 15 kids, one at 53 and the other was 48. My great-grandfather was 72 when he sired his last child. to hell with drugs and Viagra…go eat some garlic and get a woody for your honey!
PS: I’m actually snacking on some red wine, Romona cheese, and have a small bowl or pickled garlic with it. Eat your heart out! and enjoy your artificial chemistry …….I’ll take what God created for us believers.
@37rainman Agreed. And avoid highly processed toxic seed oils.
My husband stopped his Lipitor years ago. His cholesterol was high but there was no history of heart disease on either side of his family, no strokes. He was active, physically fit, was a diabetic so on a restrictive diet. I talked him in to stopping it after reading about this several years ago. He is seventy this year and his cholesterol is down from when he was on Lipitor.
This lady is a true crusader for the truth.
I have resisted these statins as after being on them for a while I suffered chronic fatigue, muscle pains and developed cataracts.
This should go viral.
A doctor in San Diego revealed the negative aspects of stations twenty years ago. But she could not get funding to confirm her research. I stopped taking them after reading her results, glad I did.
Chronic fatigue that’s the word I’m.same Statin made my knees ache so bad used walking stick .left work retired early because of the pain.
It would seem almost self-evident that the drug could be a poison in excess. Cholesterol forms part of the cell membrane, is a building block of hormones, and making bile. Cholesterol _deficiency_ could very well occur.
She is a hot crusader indeed.
Yes, why don’t you look up her history and see if she’s all that, there’s this amazing thing called the internet where you can find out how much of a ” crusader for the truth ” she is.
I was a board certified Internal Medicine specialist in the USA. I had to retire early when I realized that allopathic medical doctors had become to a great degree simply pawns to push pharmaceuticals to end users for the benefit of pharmaceutical companies. About half of the disease burden in the USA is due to lifestyle choices and can be ameliorated by lifestyle changes. Pharmaceuticals like statins are inferior to diet changes but your family doctor does not know this because he or she is not taught this in medical school and this approach is suppressed in the medical literature.
Ive been looking after my mom for the past 11 years. She is 88 and suffers from dementia. Ive taken her to all her medical appointments. In this time and I’ve always had doctors wanting to prescribe medications to her after blood tests. Each time I would as the doctor ie: “She is 80 years old. What are the side effects on a person her age going to be?”
Every single doctor when asked that question could not give a reasonable answer nor would make a case to take the prescription. Sadly that’s what the medical profession has come to. Many doctors are incentivized to prescribe medications even to people of advanced age where the risks outweigh the benefits. My mom despite her condition is fairing well and Im betting she will reach 90 drug free.
@Richard Cabrera I recently watched this youtube by Prof Smith at Oxford uni. How B Vitamins & Omega 3s Reverse Cognitive Decline
I just love people that invest their precious time for public benefit. Thank you.
Great information. I refuse to take statins after reading a book on cholesterol. This video made me think about doctors who have tried to convince me to take a statin but when I refused not one of them offered an alternative.
Thank you for this. I’ve been on it for a year and started to develop leg issues. Was researching statin side effects and came across your talk. This explains so much – I’m not crazy.
I also have leg pain, 72yrs. Difficult walking. On rosuvastatin 5mths, time to go off It I think.
Studying anatomy, and learning that every cell wall depends on cholesterol to perform normal cell function, made me question all of this. Being a transplant recipient, my cardiologists tried to put on me on statins, and succeeded for a brief time. Got sore muscles…
Then I heard that policosanol was also effective at moderating cholesterol, at least enough to satisfy my doctors. Sadly, they don’t work for everybody.
Another fun fact, is that the liver makes cholesterol. So, the human body makes it naturally…
Then, information coming out of Juice Plus+ studies, showed that it was oxidized cholesterol, the lipid-peroxides, are what end up sticking to the vascular walls. So, if one’s diet contains plenty of anti-oxidants (fresh raw, fruits and vegetables), then one’s oxidized cholesterol is drastically lowered.
But, of course, most doctors never take a single course on nutrition. So naturally, many doctors ignore it as a viable possibility.
Cell wall is a plant structure. I think you meant to say cell membrane.
I received exactly the “how dare you?“ Objection from my doctor. It is clear that many doctors have become incurious, unconcerned prescriptionists. They have seven minutes with you and are anxious to get you out of the office so they can get the next patient in. Many of them don’t seem to have read anything or tried to research anything after they got out of medical school, which for many is decades. This means they have no new information other than what their drug representative is pushing to them. Medicine has changed drastically since I was younger. It is horrifying to me. Doctors have become an extension of the drug companies, not healers.
@TheCompleteGuitarist We don’t pay anything to see our doctor – in the UK. They still push statins, though, as if the lowering of LDLs is an end in itself. There is research to indicate that this is misguided. Old people with high LDL live longet than those with a normal level.
” incurious, unconcerned prescriptionists.” Brilliant and concise.
What a coincidence! We have the same physician!
Agree, however the last bit is not showing and your post ends with “Doctors have become an extension of the..”