MedicationSense.Com

Your independent, respected source for information about medications and natural therapies.

Medication side effects are the #4 leading cause of death in the U.S. annually (JAMA 1998). Yet, few people receive adequate information when medication is prescribed. This website is dedicated to providing information to help you and your doctor make informed, intelligent choices about medications and natural alternatives to maximize the benefits and minimize the risks of treatment. Note: This website is free of drug company or government influence. Jay S. Cohen M.D.

Dr. Jay S. Cohen, M.D.

What You Must Know About Statin Drugs and Their Natural Alternatives

The Precision Method For Reducing Cholesterol and C-Reactive Protein Safely

Code of Medical Ethics:

“The physician has an ethical obligation to help the patient make choices from among the therapeutic alternatives consistent with good medical practice.”

This is what Dr. Cohen’s book offers — and much more.

Dr. Cohen’s book is unique in providing you with comprehensive information on reducing cholesterol and other cardiac risk factors with statin drugs — Lipitor, Zocor, Pravachol, Mevacor, Lescol, Crestor — as safely as possible. If you prefer non-drug methods, What You Must Know About Statin Drugs and Their Natural Alternatives also offers in-depth information on effective natural supplements and on how to identify your ideal heart-healthy diet.If you aren’t sure whether you need treatment, the book can help you determine if you need treatment and whether statin medications or natural methods are preferable.If you need but cannot afford statin therapy, Chapter 11 explains how you can cut statin costs by 50 percent or more.

For statin users, Dr. Cohen dispenses information that most doctors and patients have never seen.Statin drugs are the top-selling drug group in America, and Dr. Cohen emphasizes a “precision-prescribing” method of matching statin drugs and doses for each person.In contrast to drug-company studies that are swaying doctors to use the strongest doses of the strongest statins, Dr. Cohen explains who needs aggressive treatment and who doesn’t (most people), and he provides little-known information about safer, proven-effective statin doses that are even lower than those currently marketed.Unlike other books, Dr. Cohen provides the full range of effective statin doses that work, so that you and your doctor can individualize treatment to your specific needs and goals.By doing so, the risks of statin side effects can be minimized.If you are experiencing side effects on your current statin, Dr. Cohen explains how to identify and halt them quickly.The information in Dr. Cohen’s book is scientifically sound, proven by studies and by the experiences of doctors.

What You Must Know About Statin Drugs and Their Natural Alternatives also offers special information for women, seniors, and people who are sensitive to medications.The book explains why people respond so differently to statins and other drugs.Dr. Cohen’s book provides multiple strategies for anyone who wants to know about:

If you are unfamiliar with his work, Dr. Cohen is an independent researcher (no drug company ties!), who since 1988 has been writing about problems in the drug industry and FDA that affect the safety of our medications.Since 1988, Dr. Cohen has written about adverse effects with antidepressants such as Prozac and Zoloft (SSRIs) — problems that were finally acknowledged by the FDA in 2004.Since 2000, Dr. Cohen has been writing and speaking about problems with the COX-2 anti-inflammatory drugs Celebrex and Bextra — years before these drugs’ cardiovascular risks were finally identified.

Dr. Cohen’s work is well-known from his many medical journal articles and his previous book: Over Dose: The Case Against The Drug Companies. Prescription Drugs, Side Effects, and Your Health (Tarcher/Putnam, 2001).Over Dose was the first to reveal problems in the drug industry and FDA that reduce the safety of many of top-selling drugs including antidepressants, anti-inflammatory drugs, blood pressure drugs, hormones, and others.Over Dose also provided readers and doctors with extensive information about how to use these medications more safely.The book received excellent reviews from Publishers Weekly, Library Review, and the Journal of the American Medical Association.Now, Dr. Cohen’s new book offers the same degree of comprehensive, in-depth information on statin drugs and natural alternatives so that you can reduce cholesterol or other risk factors as knowledgeably and safely as possible.

What You Must Know About Statin Drugs and Their Natural Alternatives is one-of-a-kind in providing the full range of information you (and your doctor) need about statin drugs, natural alternatives, and diet.Dr. Cohen advocates precision treatment: he believes that medical treatment is safer and more effective when based on each person’s individual needs and goals.

When he addressed the American College for the Advancement of Medicine (ACAM) in 2002, Dr. Cohen said:

“You shouldn’t have to go to two doctors to get one complete picture.People have a right to receive information about all of the effective treatments for their disorders so that they can make truly informed decisions about their own care.”

This is what Dr. Cohen provides in book.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

  1. Avoiding Statin Overtreatment or Undertreatment
  2. How Much Cholesterol Reduction to You Really Need?
  3. The Right Statin at the Right Dose
  4. Low-Dose Statins — the Evidence
  5. Why Do People Respond So Differently to Statin Drugs?
  6. Women and Seniors: Special Considerations with Statin Drugs
  7. Effective Strategies for Dealing with Side Effects and Other Problems with Statins
  8. Effective Alternative Therapies for Reducing Cholesterol and Other Risk Factors
  9. Essential Nutrients for Cardiovascular Health
  10. Which Heart-Healthy Diet Is for You?
  11. How to Cut Statin Costs by Fifty Percent or More
  12. Putting It All Together
  13. Appendix: Dr. Cohen’s Ten Principles for Safe, Effective Medication Therapy
  14. References

Category: Articles and Reports