What If We’ve Been Wrong About Statins All Along?a real-talk perspective on cholesterol, big pharma, and functional truth

Heather Newman
Jun 5
2 min read

If you’re reading this, it probably means someone you love—or maybe even you—have been handed a prescription for statins and told it’s “just what we do now.”

But what if that story isn’t the full truth?

What if high cholesterol isn’t the villain it’s been made out to be for decades?

This post isn’t medical advice. It’s an invitation—to do your own research, ask better questions, and stop outsourcing your health to a system that profits from your dependency.

🚨First, What Are Statins?

Statins are a class of drugs prescribed to lower cholesterol levels—specifically LDL (“bad cholesterol”).

They work by blocking an enzyme your liver needs to produce cholesterol. Sounds like a simple fix, right?

Not so fast.

🧠Why Cholesterol Matters

Cholesterol isn’t poison.

It’s essential.

Your body needs cholesterol to:

Build brain and nerve cells
Produce hormones like estrogen, testosterone, and cortisol
Make vitamin D
Form bile acids for digestion

When we suppress cholesterol without understanding why it’s high, we’re silencing the body’s alarm bells—not solving the root issue.

What Statins Actually Do

Statins reduce cholesterol—but not necessarily heart attacks.

A 2010 meta-analysis in The Cochrane Database showed that while statins may slightly reduce the risk of heart attacks in some people, they don’t significantly change overall death rates in individuals without prior heart disease (aka primary prevention).

A 2017 study in BMJ Open found that among elderly patients with high LDL but no history of heart disease, higher cholesterol was actually associated with lower mortality.

So why are we still being scared into submission?

Side Effects of Statins: The Part No One Talks About

Here’s the fine print your doctor probably didn’t mention:

Muscle pain & weakness (myopathy)
Fatigue & brain fog
Memory loss
Blood sugar spikes (yes, statins can increase your risk of type 2 diabetes)
Liver damage
CoQ10 depletion (this is a big one—your heart actually needs CoQ10)

For many, the “benefits” don’t outweigh the quality-of-life tradeoff.

So What’s the Functional Medicine Take?

Functional medicine asks: what’s the root cause?

Why is your body producing more cholesterol in the first place? In many cases, it could be:

Chronic inflammation
Insulin resistance
Poor thyroid function
Nutrient deficiencies
Toxicity and oxidative stress

Instead of slapping on a statin, functional medicine leans into testing, lifestyle shifts, real food, movement, and stress regulation.

Not woo.

Not fake. Just… different.

You Deserve to Understand the Why

We’ve been conditioned to treat our bodies like malfunctioning machines that need fixing. But your body is brilliantly adaptive.

If cholesterol is high, it may be responding to internal stress or damage—not randomly misfiring.

What if the answer isn’t less cholesterol… but less inflammation?

Final Thoughts: Homework Before You Swallow That Pill

Ask your doctor:

Is this for primary or secondary prevention?
What’s my CAC score (coronary artery calcium)?
Have we tested for inflammation markers?
What’s my risk of heart attack without this drug?
Can I try lifestyle changes first and retest in 90 days?

LISTEN TO THIS TOPIC ON THE PODCAST:

Episode 251 → #GetUnstuckPodcast by GlitterU® here https://www.glitteru.com/podcast/episode/a0082bd6/episode-251-the-cholesterol-lies-were-finally-unpacking

📎 Plus: I link all our family’s current go-to support supplements + the full reading list from this blog post.

This is your reminder:

YOU are the CEO of your health.

Don’t let fear—or a rushed appointment—make the decisions for you.