Cholesterol Control Without Diet!: The Niacin Solution

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Summary: After 30 months On Plain Niacin
Review: After reading Dr. Parsons book I started taking Plain Niacin following Dr. Parsons' guidlines and found it was very effective in reducing total cholesterol, LDL, VLDL and Triglycerides. It is the most effective of any drug for raising HDL. I raised mine 31% and I am working on getting it higher by exercising. I do not yet have my HDL level to the preferred minimum of 45, but am confident I will get there. Low HDL runs in my family and, fortunately, my total cholesterol and LDL are so low now, I don't believe I am in a high risk category anymore.

The vast majority of Americans could prevent heart disease if they would become their "own doctor" and aggressively pursue a course of cholesterol treatment with a physician.

It is odd that Niacin is still in the category of "generally unknown" given that it was the first drug used in treating cholesterol and still is one of the most effective and has the lowest cost.

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Summary: cholesterol control without diet
Review: Dr. Parsons presents a powerful argument for the use of niacin as a lipid lowering agent. His argument would be more powerful on a professional level if he would limit his emotional attachment and let the facts speak for themselves. I agree with his conclusions regarding the effectiveness of niacin and with the power of the pharmaceutical industry to shape public and medical opinion. In my opinion, however, he does downplay the incidence of certain side-effects of niacin and to some extent exxagerates the bad effects of other drugs.

In total, this is a solid book that supplies a great deal of information that can greatly decrease one's risk of heart disease.

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Summary: Read This Book It Works!
Review: I read this book because my cholesterol was off the charts and my HDL was low. Dr Parsons correctly identifies why statin drugs don't work to improve mortality and makes an air tight case for Niacin. I use the EP Plain Niacin therapy outlined in the book and now my cholesterol is 140 and 45 HDL with no change in diet. Thanks Doc! If you've tried Niacin and couldn't tolerate it, read this book. You'll be able to succeed. A portion of the book is devoted to detailed advice to practicioners on how to treat patients with Niacin. Good advice for health care professionals.

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Summary: Excellent information on niacin
Review: Niacin works, period. Why is this generally unknown? As Dr. Parsons argues, there is no big money pushing niacin. (Although the HMOs should be; they'd save billions!) Niacin cannot be patented, so there is no fortune waiting to be made. In fact, niacin is and will continue to be a thorn in the side of pharmaceutical companies that spend millions promoting their statins which are clearly inferior to niacin.

I have only a couple of minor complaints about the book. Dr Parsons basically dismisses the use of soluble fiber as insignificant. I know from personal experience that soluble fiber can make a very significant dent in cholesterol. I suspect it does so with even fewer potential complications than niacin. I use them both.

Second, the homocysteine connection which is gaining more credence is not even mentioned in the book and anti-oxidants (vitamin e etc) are mentioned only in passing.

My final gripe (no fault of the book)is that I cannot locate an MD in New York City that specializes in niacin therapy. If anyone knows of one, please e-mail me! Thanks.

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Summary: For anyone who must deal with elevated cholesterol levels
Review: Now in a newly revised and expanded edition, Cholesterol Control Without Diet! by Dr. William B. Parsons Jr. is a straightforward guide to using the drug niacin (with proper medical supervision), in order to keep personal cholesterol levels under control for better overall health. Written for non-specialist general readers and doctors alike, Cholesterol Control Without Diet! closely examines flaws in the 2001 Cholesterol Guidelines; the differences between plain and time-release niacin; how to manage side effects for niacin; other cholesterol control drugs, and much, much more. Enthusiastically recommended for health-conscious readers everywhere, especially since the updated version is packed with the latest findings, Cholesterol Control Without Diet! is confidently recommended reading for anyone who must deal with elevated cholesterol levels.

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Summary: The Truth About Cholesterol Control
Review: This book contains a wealth of information about preventing heart attack and stroke, not limited to cholesterol control--although that is its main thrust. As in the first edition, it teaches that diet has so little to do with your cholesterol level that we might as well say it has nothing to do with it. The problem is that you inherited a body factory that produces too much bad (LDL) cholesterol, not enough good (HDL) cholesterol, or to much triglyceride. Total cholesterol is essentially irrelevant; you and your doctor need to know and manage all of those fractions.
To change the body factory requires medication. The best medication is niacin, which does everything right (lowers LDLC, triglycerides, and Lp(a)--"the heart attack cholesterol"--while raising HDLC. The widely advertised, expensive statin drugs do only one thing well--reduce LDLC. Statin drugs had, until 2001 (no later figures available) caused 112 deaths in the US and resulted in withdrawal of one such drug (Baycol) from the market. Statins do this by causing rhabdomyolysis ("dissolving of muscles"), with circulating myoglobin then blocking the kidneys, causing kidney failure. The muscle pains that often accompany statin use are warning signs to stop those drugs. Read the fine print ot listen closely to the fast talk at the end of commercials, then decide whether the statin manufacturers are trying to sweep these hazards udner the rug.
Some experts think statins may, in time, prove to cause cancer, based on the fact that they all cause cancer in animals.
Niacin has a safety record dating to the 1950's, when the author pioneered its use at the Mayo Clinic. A landmark study, sponsored by NIH (not by drug companies) showed (in men who had already had one or more heart attacks) that niacin reduced both heart attacks and strokes by 25%, while also reducing cardiovascular surgery, hospitalization, and deaths--as compared to other drugs or to placebo.
Why, then, haven't we heard more of niacin? Because it's not patentable; thus no one company benefits from its exclusive sale. Reliable, inexpensive niacin products are available. This is not a fad supplement; niacin has been approved by FDA for cholesterol control since the early 1960's.
Although available without prescription, "niacin is not a do-it-yourself drug," the autrhor points out repeatedly. It require knowledgeable medical supervision to monitor cholesterol results and be sure there are no untoward side effects. The nuisance effect of skin flushing at the onset of treatment is easily avoided by using time-release products and a daily aspirin for the first week or two. The book dispels rumors and myths that niacin is hard to take or that time-release products should be avoided.
Worried about prescription drug costs and statin hazards? Niacin costs $10-14 a month for usual doses (less than the co-pay of most prescription drug plans), while statin prices vary from $42 to $142 a month, depending on drug and dosage.
This book emphasizes what Laura Bush recently learned: that in women, heart attacks cause more deaths each year than all cancers combined. The book takes the position that heart attacks and strokes are largely preventable. A second copy for your doctor is a good idea. And since obesity has been upgraded to a major risk factor for heart attack (as well as diabetes and worn-out weight-bearing joints), you might also do well to consult the author's newest book, Tough Talk About Fat! How to Reach and Maintain Your Ideal Weight. (It doesn't scold a person for being overweight; it tells him to GET TOUGH with that excess weight and get rid of it--all of it!)

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Summary: Cholesterol Control Without Diet
Review: This book is a lifesaver for me. I can't tolerate the statins (or hardly afford them either). Niacin works wonderfully for me. And an added benefit, my memory is coming back. Great book. I have bought 5 copies for all of my close friends.

Richard (Dick) Barnes Maple Hill, Kansas

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Summary: Finally, Help At Last!
Review: This book may literally be a lifesaver for me!
I had a bad reaction to one of the statins. Then, tried every diet/food that i could try. Cholesterol went up.
Got the book and started Niacin. After one month of taking niacin, cholesterol went from 251 to 198!
Hasnt been that low in 5 years or more.
My doctor didnt know beans about niacin so Dr Parson's book was my last chance.
Thank you, Dr Parsons!

Rating:
Summary: Finally, Help At Last!
Review: This book may literally be a lifesaver for me!
I had a bad reaction to one of the statins. Then, tried every diet/food that i could try. Cholesterol went up.
Got the book and started Niacin. After one month of taking niacin, cholesterol went from 251 to 198!
Hasnt been that low in 5 years or more.
My doctor didnt know beans about niacin so Dr Parson's book was my last chance.
Thank you, Dr Parsons!

Rating:
Summary: Once again: the truth about cholesterol
Review: This expanded, updated paperback 2nd edition has all the truths of the 1998 hardcover and much more. These truths include:
* Diet has so little to do with one's cholesterol level that we
might as well say it has nothing to do with it.
* It's all right to eat eggs and lean red meat.
* TOTAL cholesterol level is irrelevant; you need to know BAD and GOOD levels, plus triglycerides levels.
* If diet helps at all, it does so only during periods of weight reduction. Diet reduces GOOD cholesterol as much as it lowers BAD cholesterol!
* To change the body factory (which determines your cholesterol levels), requires medication. NIACIN is the best. It does everything right: lowers bad cholesterol, raises good cholesterol levels, lowers triglycerides, reduces Lp(a) (nicknamed "the heart attack cholesterol," especially in women), and produces favorable
changes in bad and good cholesterol subfractions.
* The best-selling statin drugs do only one thing well: reduce bad cholesterol.
* Statins have caused at least 112 deaths in US and more worldwide. The first statin reached the US market in 1987, the others in the 1990's. Some experts think statins may cause cancer, as all of them do in animals, and that it will take more time for this to appear. (Tobacco and asbestos take 20-40 years.)
* Statins cause myopathy ("something wrong in muscles"), varying from mild aching to actual dissolving of muscles fibers. The latter can lead to kidney failure and death. If muscle aching occurs, the patient should stop the statin and contact his doctor promptly. Statin ads hide this warning in the small print or the fast talk at the end of expensive TV ads.
* Niacin has a safety record dating to 1956. In a 1966-1974 study at 53 US centers, niacin was the only drug that reduced heart attack and stroke, cardiovascular surgery, hospitalization, and deaths from all causes.
* This book teaches doctors and patients how to prevent flushing of the skin from niacin (using time-release niacin, with a morning aspirin for the first 2 weeks) and avoiding liver problems (by testing twice a year).
* Niacin IS NOT a do-it-yourself drug. It requires knowledgeable medical supervision.
* Reliable, generic time-release niacin costs $10-14 a month for usual doses. Statin prices vary from $42 to $142 a month.
* For more information, visit www.cholesterolnodiet.com. This site also tells about Tough Talk About Fat! How to Reach and Maintain Your Ideal Weight, a $9.95 no-nonsense book that WILL help you, loved ones, and friends achieve healthy, desired weights. Tough Talk doesn't scold you for being fat; it tells you to GET TOUGH with that excess fat and get rid of it--all of it! And then it tells you how.