Does Modern Medicine still have to take account of basic Biology?
I have had RRs published on this subject many times, for which I am
grateful, but all discussion seems to centre on trials which only take
arbitrary happenings into statistical account, and studiously ignore the
fundamental biological principles involved.
It is as if the Krebs cycle for energy production was a subject to be
understood just sufficiently to pass A-level Biology, but no longer
relevant on the world of medicine. The equivalent in electronic
engineering would be to assume Ohm's Law no longer applies,disaster waits
for those who might believe this!!
The production of ATP (adenosine triphosphate)in the mitochondria is
virtually the only source of bodily energy to perform every action needing
it, whether muscular (including most of all cardiac muscle),or chemical
processing as in liver and kidneys. Let me remind you that this all takes
place in microscopic mitochondria, each only one thousandth of a
millimetre in length, but inhabiting virtually every cell in the body. A
single muscle fibre contains 1,000 mitochondria. Glucose is one of their
basic fuels, but Coenzyme Q10 is necessary as electron transport between
Complex 1 and 2, and then on into the next stage, which needs heme A to
function. Fat is also used as a fuel, but needs Carnitine in order to
penetrate the membrane into the mitochondra.
We then have five essential ingredients (at least), glucose, fat
CoQ10. Carnitine and heme A, and the last three of these are all reduced
by statins in the mevalonate pathway. Who can imagine that modification on
this scale to a core necessity of life is without danger??
CoQ10 shortage can show its effects almost anywhere in the body, but
the consequent loss of carnitine may lead to myopathy by denying access of
fat to the mitochondria for metabolism. A kind of starvation can then
occur when the muscle protein becomes the fuel to maintain action. This
can occur without elevating CK, and this has been documented, I had bad
leg muscle wastage with a CK figure of only 500, my normal is now 200 with
carnitine supplementation. I believe elevated CK from other causes to be
irrelevent to statin damage, fully fit individuals suffer frequently.
Muscle pain is a much more common problem from statin use, the
figures recognised officially are very much out of touch with reality,
many thousands suffer this in most disabling ways.
The use of CoQ10 is recommended to take prevent statin damage, and is
in very wide use by statin damage forum members, but carnitine has been
found essential for myopathy and muscle pain, in the latter case it is
needed to carry the "combustion products" out from the muscle, otherwise
lactic acidosis occurs.
This is in no way alternative medicine but real science which does
not attract large financial rewards, but can give much needed relief to
those for whom mainstream medicine has no answers, and it deserves much
greater attention.
Rapid Response:
Does Modern Medicine still have to take account of basic Biology?
I have had RRs published on this subject many times, for which I am
grateful, but all discussion seems to centre on trials which only take
arbitrary happenings into statistical account, and studiously ignore the
fundamental biological principles involved.
It is as if the Krebs cycle for energy production was a subject to be
understood just sufficiently to pass A-level Biology, but no longer
relevant on the world of medicine. The equivalent in electronic
engineering would be to assume Ohm's Law no longer applies,disaster waits
for those who might believe this!!
The production of ATP (adenosine triphosphate)in the mitochondria is
virtually the only source of bodily energy to perform every action needing
it, whether muscular (including most of all cardiac muscle),or chemical
processing as in liver and kidneys. Let me remind you that this all takes
place in microscopic mitochondria, each only one thousandth of a
millimetre in length, but inhabiting virtually every cell in the body. A
single muscle fibre contains 1,000 mitochondria. Glucose is one of their
basic fuels, but Coenzyme Q10 is necessary as electron transport between
Complex 1 and 2, and then on into the next stage, which needs heme A to
function. Fat is also used as a fuel, but needs Carnitine in order to
penetrate the membrane into the mitochondra.
We then have five essential ingredients (at least), glucose, fat
CoQ10. Carnitine and heme A, and the last three of these are all reduced
by statins in the mevalonate pathway. Who can imagine that modification on
this scale to a core necessity of life is without danger??
CoQ10 shortage can show its effects almost anywhere in the body, but
the consequent loss of carnitine may lead to myopathy by denying access of
fat to the mitochondria for metabolism. A kind of starvation can then
occur when the muscle protein becomes the fuel to maintain action. This
can occur without elevating CK, and this has been documented, I had bad
leg muscle wastage with a CK figure of only 500, my normal is now 200 with
carnitine supplementation. I believe elevated CK from other causes to be
irrelevent to statin damage, fully fit individuals suffer frequently.
Muscle pain is a much more common problem from statin use, the
figures recognised officially are very much out of touch with reality,
many thousands suffer this in most disabling ways.
The use of CoQ10 is recommended to take prevent statin damage, and is
in very wide use by statin damage forum members, but carnitine has been
found essential for myopathy and muscle pain, in the latter case it is
needed to carry the "combustion products" out from the muscle, otherwise
lactic acidosis occurs.
This is in no way alternative medicine but real science which does
not attract large financial rewards, but can give much needed relief to
those for whom mainstream medicine has no answers, and it deserves much
greater attention.
Competing interests:
Statin damaged patient
Competing interests: No competing interests