Cholesterol: A Lesson in Self Destructive Illogic

What would you call it when someone offers another a piece of candy, warns them that the candy has poison in it that could cause disease or death, and the person takes the candy and gobbles it up? I struggle for the mot juste, but stupid cannot be far from appropriate.

I’ve just finished writing a book entitled, The Cholesterol Myth—Believe It To Your Peril. In essence, the book demonstrates, contrary to popular belief, that cholesterol is not the cause of cardiovascular disease. Moreover, the attempt at its eradication with the use of statin drugs is disastrous.
 
Cholesterol is arguably the most important biochemical in the body, since, for one thing, it is the precursor to vitamin D and the rest of our hormones. Hormones regulate everything, including life itself. On the other hand, statins are fraught with dangers—disease inducing and life threatening dangers.
 
In the book I try to help people understand these facts and demonstrate that natural and safe alternatives can not only prevent cardiovascular disease, but even reverse it. Yes, actually remove the atherosclerotic plaques in arteries!
 
As an example of a natural therapy, vitamin B3 (niacin) is an effective and safe way to do what statins are supposed to do. By this I am not recommending that cholesterol be toyed with, since, for one thing, long life is associated with high, not low cholesterol numbers. But if you are going to attempt controlling this life giving biochemical, there are better ways than statins to do it.
 
The Mayo Clinic website—which cholesterol-counting, statin-pushing doctors evidently don’t bother to read—makes this surprising statement: "Niacin is a well-accepted treatment for high cholesterol. Multiple studies show that niacin… has significant benefits on levels of high-density lipoproteins (HDL or "good cholesterol") and low-density lipoproteins (LDL or "bad cholesterol"), with better results than prescription medications such as "statins," like atorvastatin (Lipitor®)."
 
Now then, back to the stupid thing. Right beside this statement on the Mayo website is an ad for Lipitor, a statin drug replete with dangerous side effects such as increased risk of suicide, liver damage, and heart failure due to interference with the production of the essential biochemical, Coenzyme Q10. In fact, in order to list all the dangers, the ad had to include a scroll feature.
 
Advertising is so powerful today, people are so gullible and willing to truckle to anything giving the appearance of authority, that an ad for a poison could be placed right beside a scientific study proving the dangers of the poison, and the ad will still pull customers—including doctors. Today, people have become so dulled, so consumption ready, that snake oil purveyors don’t even need to hide the fact that their elixir may not work and very well might kill you.
 
The media is filled with ads describing the side effects of drugs, and which in the same breath make an appeal to purchase. People by the millions choose the drug rather than heeding the warnings. Then, as a nation, we decide to do the stupid thing en masse by trying to figure out how to have government make such drugs more affordable or free for all!
 
Why do people behave so irrationally? Because we insist on chasing dreams, beliefs, faiths, and desires rather than facing the reality that we are ultimately responsible for ourselves—including our own health.