Lower This Inflammation Marker

Dear Health Conscious Reader,

An FDA advisory panel wants to get healthy people hooked on statin (cholesterol-lowering) drugs – with all their ugly side effects.

Yes, the FDA has reacted to a drug company-sponsored study showing that people with high C-reactive protein (CRP) levels had fewer heart attacks and strokes when taking statins.

But they brushed aside the 13 deaths and 18 “confused states” among the participants. And they ignored the increase in adult-onset diabetes as well.1

They also closed their eyes to the dangerous side effects of these drugs:2

  • Muscle pain and weakness
  • Peripheral neuropathy
  • Heart failure
  • Dizziness
  • Cognitive impairment
  • Cancer
  • Pancreatitis
  • Depression

Despite these dangers, the FDA panel overwhelmingly recommended that patients with no history of heart disease, just elevated levels of CRP, take the statin drug rosuvastatin (Crestor).

Of course, I’ve been talking about the importance of CRP as an indicator of heart attacks and strokes for years now. But now that mainstream medicine can attach a drug to it, suddenly it is BIG news.

And, with the FDA pushing statins as a preventative – even for people with low cholesterol – the number of Americans consuming them will jump by millions. Thus enriching drug companies’ bottom line.

That’s bad news… my readers know that statins have been shown to increase the risk of heart disease by robbing you of the heart critical nutrient CoQ10.

Your CRP level is important. CRP measures inflammation in your body. And as I point out in my Doctor’s Heart Cure book, inflammation is the real cause of heart disease.

Inflammation comes from stress or damage to your blood vessels when they don’t get the nutrients they need. They can get cracked and weak, and the body responds by sending plaque to repair the damage. Continuous lack of nutrients can cause this plaque to build up – leading to heart attack or stroke.

You don’t need dangerous statin drugs to protect you from high CRP levels. If you want to lower the CRP levels in your blood – lower the inflammation in your body.

One of the best ways to lower CRP is to exercise. Studies clearly show that people who went from couch slouching to exercising lowered their CRP as much as 30%.3

To get the most benefit in the least amount of time, exercise efficiently. If you’re familiar with my P.A.C.E. program, you know that traditional cardio exercises aren’t the most effective.

To lower your CRP level in the shortest amount of time, try this simple P.A.C.E.-style workout. (Of course, check with your doctor first if you haven’t been exercising for a while.):

  1. Instead of a slow, steady pace on a bicycle or treadmill, try going 80% of your maximum for 2 minutes.
  2. Rest for 1 minute.
  3. Go at 90% for another two minutes.
  4. Rest for 1 minute.
  5. Go at 100% for 1 minute.
  6. Recover.

That’s it! This exertion/rest cycle is much more effective than traditional cardio. And it will melt fat and build your heart and lung strength (and lower your inflammation) much faster.

To Your Good Health,

Al Sears, MD

  1. Peck, P – FDA Panel Back Statin for Primary Prevention. Medpage Today. December 15, 2009 http://www.medpagetoday.com/Cardiology/Atherosclerosis/17569
  2. Fallon S and Enig MG, PhD – Dangers of Statin Drugs: What you haven’t Been Told About Popular Cholesterol-Lowering Medicines. June 14,2004. The Weston A. Price Foudation. http://www.westonaprice.org/Dangers-of-Statin-Drugs-What-You-Havent-Been-Told-About-Popular-Cholesterol-Lowering-Medicines.html
  3. Church T, Barlow CE, Earnest CP, et.al. Association between cardiorespiratory fitness and C-reactive protein in men. Arteriosclerosis and Thrombosis: Journal of Vascular Biology, 2002 Nov 1;22(11):1869-1879.