Heart Disease
Is Robert Jarvik, the Inventor of the Artificial Heart, Playing with Fire?
By Dr. David Dahlman, DC
Jun 21, 2007 - 8:20 PM

There's irony in the massive media campaign for the cholesterol lowering drug Lipitor that stars Dr. Robert Jarvik, inventor of the artificial heart. He proudly states he takes Lipitor. Could he someday be a candidate for his own invention? Has he not seen the studies that prove Lipitor contributes to heart failure? Geez! Where did this guy get his nutritional training?

Full page ads in my local and national papers. TV ads. When a drug company wants to market their products, they know how to do it right. Shame they don't know how to make a safe drug.

Lipitor, Zocor, Mevacor, Prestor and the new combination drug Vytorin (to lower cholesterol and blood pressure) all contain statins, also known as HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors. They are the front line therapy for those with high cholesterol levels. Unfortunately, there are two massive problems when taking ANY statin drug like Lipitor.

Coenzyme Q10, aka ubiquinone, is a vitamin-like substance necessary for the production of energy in the body. Organs with the highest energy requirements like the heart, lungs and liver have the highest concentrations of it in their tissue. Statins drugs have long been known to push Coenzyme Q10 out of tissues and out of the body. Even manufacturers studies show decreases in Coenzyme Q-10 in those taking Liptor or any statin drug. How ironinc that the drug Dr. Jarvik pushes and takes himself might someday cause his heart to grow weaker and weaker.

As if that's not enough, studies have also shown statin drugs interfere with the production of Interleukin 1 in the human body, a cytokine involved in the inflammatory response. More importantly, you need Interleukin 1 to produce Interleukin-2, the only human produced anti-cancer chemical ever recognized by the FDA.

So, if heart failure wasn't enough, statin drugs like Lipitor will also prevent the body from producing it's own attack on cancer cells. Whoa! What a miracle drug. Who the heck would want to control their high cholesterol with diet when you could take such a wonderful medication? Let's hope the irony of the situation never materializes and Dr. Jarvik gets the discipline to change his diet.