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Aug 14 16 tweets 6 min read Read on X
Common Heart Drug Linked to Heart Disease Itself: Studies

This wasn’t supposed to happen.

Roughly 40 million Americans take statins to lower cholesterol.

But an expert review suggests long-term statin use could quietly backfire and cause this deadly heart problem. 👇🧵Image
In this thread, you’ll discover:

• The deadly heart problem linked to statin use

• The nutrient statins quietly strip from the heart

• Why millions could be at risk
For decades, statins have been heralded as reliable heroes in the battle against heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States and globally. Image
However, an expert review suggests that long-term use of statins may be aiding the enemy by accelerating coronary artery calcification instead of providing protection.

theepochtimes.com/health/long-te…
Statins Deplete Heart-Protecting Nutrients

The review, published in Clinical Pharmacology, suggests that statins may act as “mitochondrial toxins,” impairing muscle function in the heart and blood vessels by depleting coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), an antioxidant cells use for growth and maintenance.

Multiple studies show that statins inhibit CoQ10 synthesis, leading many patients to supplement.Image
CoQ10 is vital for producing ATP, the cell’s fundamental energy carrier.

Insufficient CoQ10 inhibits ATP production, resulting in an energy deficit that the review authors say “could be a major cause for heart muscle and coronary artery damage.”

“We believe that many years of statin drug therapy result in the gradual accumulation of mitochondrial DNA damage,” the authors wrote.Image
A 2022 study published in Biophysical Journal linked reduced ATP to heart failure.

A 2008 study published in BioFactors reaffirms the statin–CoQ10 link. Researchers evaluated 50 statin patients for side effects such as fatigue and muscle pain. All then stopped statins and supplemented CoQ10 for 22 months on average.

Heart function improved or held steady for a majority of patients.Image
The researchers conclude that statin side effects, including statin cardiomyopathy, “are far more common than previously published and are reversible with the combination of statin discontinuation and supplemental CoQ10.” Image
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Statins Deplete Vitamin K, Raising Heart Calcification Risk

Statins impair the production of vitamin K, an essential vitamin in managing calcification, according to the review.

Optimal vitamin K2 intake helps avoid plaque buildup of atherosclerosis—thickening or hardening of the arteries—and keeps calcification risk low.Image
Coronary calcification happens when calcium accumulates in the walls of the coronary arteries, which provide oxygen to the heart.

This plaque buildup is a sign of early coronary artery disease, which can block blood flow and trigger a heart attack. Image
A 2021 study published in the Kaohsiung Journal of Medical Sciences found a connection among statin use, coronary artery calcification, and vitamin K2 deficiency.

The results shed light on how statins may spur arterial calcium accumulation by inhibiting vitamin K.

The study’s findings were “in agreement with the existing evidence about positive association between statins and vascular calcification,” the authors noted.Image
Statins also damage selenoproteins, carriers of the mineral selenium, which is essential for heart health.

Statins were also linked to increased calcification in a 2022 study published in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology.

However, the authors proposed that statins may encourage calcification by heightening inflammation rather than via nutrient deficiency.Image
Physicians Overlook Statins as Driver of Heart Failure: Experts

Based on emerging evidence of statins’ potential cardiac downsides, the authors of the review warned that “physicians in general are not aware that statins can cause heart failure and are clearly not recognizing it.”

Although doctors readily diagnose heart failure in statin users, they usually attribute it to factors such as age, high blood pressure, or artery disease.Image
Doctors prescribing cholesterol drugs “cannot ignore the moral responsibility of ‘informed consent,’” the researchers wrote, noting that patients deserve full disclosure of side effects such as cardiovascular disease and heart failure.

With more than 1 million annual heart failure hospitalizations in the United States, the condition is often referred to as an epidemic—and, according to the review, it may be that “statin drug therapy is a major contributing factor.”Image
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More from @epochhealth

Aug 15
What to Know About mRNA After RFK Jr. Cancels Vaccine Contracts

The mRNA vaccine era may be ending.

RFK Jr.’s HHS just pulled the plug on nearly $500 million in mRNA vaccine contracts—after new evidence raised serious questions about the shots’ safety and effectiveness.

Here’s what they found.

🧵 THREADImage
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., in his department’s latest move against messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) technology, has canceled contracts for vaccines and therapeutics that utilize the mRNA platform.

Here’s what to know about the technology.

theepochtimes.com/article/what-t…
How Does It Work?

The mRNA, through an injection, typically in the upper arm, is delivered into the body, where it teaches cells to produce proteins.

With most mRNA vaccines, the modified mRNA is delivered with lipid nanoparticles. In the COVID-19 vaccines, mRNA instructs cells to make the same spike protein found in COVID-19.

The immune system recognizes the protein as foreign and produces antibodies to fight it.

“At the end of the process, our bodies have learned how to help protect against future infection,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says on its website.

When the vaccines were rolled out, vaccine companies and officials said that the mRNA quickly left the body, but that has proven to be incorrect. Studies have found mRNA in the blood about one month after vaccination and in lymph nodes two months after receipt.Image
Read 12 tweets
Aug 15
Cancer can now be detected through earwax—with 100% accuracy.

No blood. No scans. Just some wax from your ear.

Scientists have developed a simple test that can catch cancer in its earliest stages—before symptoms appear.

It can even tell you the exact moment your cancer is gone.

Earwax contains a treasure-trove of information about our health.

🧵 THREADImage
We all likely take earwax for granted—and prefer not to think about it.

However, the under-appreciated substance does more than keep your ears clean and free of debris—scientists have discovered that it contains a goldmine of health data.

Beyond that, earwax might be able to signal diseases like diabetes and cancer.Image
Cerumen is the technical term for earwax.

Ceruminous and sebaceous glands secrete a substance in the external auditory canal that mixes with sweat, hair, dust, and other debris.

The purpose of cerumen is to keep the ears lubricated and clean and create a barrier to discourage the entry of bugs and other foreign objects that might infiltrate and wreak havoc.Image
Read 14 tweets
Aug 14
Your gut may hold the key to removing “forever chemicals.”

Scientists have identified nine gut bacteria that can eliminate up to 75% of PFAS—toxic, cancer-linked chemicals that stay in your body for decades.

It’s the most promising natural solution yet… but there's a hidden risk.

🧵 THREADImage
Researchers have found that nine species of gut bacteria can help detoxify the body from forever chemicals, rapidly absorbing PFAS linked to cancer and other serious illnesses.

“This uncovers a new beneficial role of gut bacteria for the human health—to help removing toxic PFAS from our body,” senior study author Kiran Patil, a member of the MRC Toxicology Unit, University of Cambridge, told The Epoch Times.Image
How Bacteria Work

The Cambridge University study, published in the journal Nature Microbiology, identified nine bacterial species that can absorb up to 75 percent of toxic PFAS—per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances—from their surroundings.

PFAS are synthetic chemicals used in thousands of consumer products, from nonstick pans and waterproof clothing to cosmetics and food packaging.

Dubbed “forever chemicals” because they resist breaking down in the environment, PFAS accumulate in human bodies and have been linked to various cancers, liver damage, and immune system disorders.

Currently, there are no approved treatments to remove PFAS from the human body, making this discovery potentially significant for public health.Image
Read 12 tweets
Aug 14
The Overlooked Causes of Parkinson’s Disease—and Prevention Strategies That Work

Avoiding pesticides and staying active can go a long way toward protecting your brain.

But one study found that a simple daily habit could reduce your risk by up to 80%.

🧵 THREADImage
Parkinson’s disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder after Alzheimer’s disease.

In the United States alone, about 1.1 million people are currently living with this condition—a number expected to keep rising.

This progressive neurological disorder occurs when dopamine-producing neurons in the brain begin to degenerate, leading to movement- and emotion-related symptoms. It affects each person differently.

Though there isn’t a cure, certain lifestyle changes and natural approaches can help relieve symptoms effectively.Image
What Are the Symptoms and Early Signs of Parkinson’s Disease?

Parkinson’s disease symptoms usually begin gradually and may be subtle at first. Symptoms often start on one side of the body and typically remain more severe on that side, even as they progress.

Common symptoms may include:

• Tremor: The most common movement-related symptom is tremor—particularly the classic “pill-rolling” motion between thumb and forefinger—that usually starts in one hand during rest.

• Slowed movement: Moving more slowly and with greater difficulty. People may shuffle with shorter steps or have trouble rising from a chair.

• Rigid muscles: Experiencing muscle stiffness anywhere in the body, which can limit motion and often cause pain.

• Impaired posture and balance: Developing a stooped posture and experiencing balance problems or frequent falls.

• Loss of automatic movements: Showing fewer involuntary actions, such as blinking, smiling, or swinging the arms while walking.Image
Read 23 tweets
Aug 14
How Pornography Hijacks the Brain

Beyond harming relationships, consuming porn rewires the brain itself.

Brain scans show troubling changes eerily similar to drug addiction.

The good news—it can be undone.

One proven method helped users slash their porn use by 92%.

🧵 THREADImage
In this thread, you’ll discover:

• What happens to a brain on porn

• Why the brain craves more over time

• The science-backed approach that slashes porn use by 92%
What begins as a choice to watch pornography can evolve into a neurological and physical battle, with new research showing that frequent viewing rewires the brain in ways that mirror drug addiction.

The new study, published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, gives insights into how frequent pornography use may rewire the brain’s reward and control circuits, leading to neurological arousal, behavioral changes, and possible dependency, comparable to that observed in opioid addicts.Image
Read 13 tweets
Aug 13
Vitamin C may actually reverse skin aging at the genetic level.

New research shows it can unlock over 10,000 silenced DNA regions tied to skin renewal, boosting key anti-aging genes by 75 times.

It doesn’t just slow aging—it reactivates the instructions your skin lost over time.

But there’s one essential protein without which these powerful effects won’t happen at all.

🧵 THREADImage
Vitamin C doesn’t just protect skin—it can reverse aging at the genetic level by switching on youth-promoting genes that have been silenced over time.

theepochtimes.com/health/vitamin…
An April study suggests that vitamin C works far beyond its well-known role as an immune booster and antioxidant.

Instead, it acts as a genetic switch that can reverse fundamental aging processes in skin cells.

“This opens the door to developing new skin care products or therapeutic approaches aimed at mitigating age-related skin decline,” Akihito Ishigami, lead study author and vice president of the Division of Biology and Medical Sciences at Tokyo Metropolitan Institute for Geriatrics and Gerontology, told The Epoch Times.Image
Read 11 tweets

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