At a small grocery store I’m standing in line behind a man waiting to pay for my items. I had noticed him shopping and I had the thought ‘probably on statins’. This is a class of highly prescribed cholesterol lowering medications that have alarming rates of serious side effects that are often ignored. He purchased a single item for $1.79. The clerk gave him his change and thanked him. The clerk begins to ring up my groceries but is interrupted by the previous customer claiming he was short changed. The clerk had given him the proper change. This is a common mistake so I didn’t pay much attention until the man apologized and mentioned how bad his memory was getting and he didn’t understand why.

Besides the more prevalent muscle damage from statins, I have often heard people report nerve damage and memory loss as well. The earlier observations of his difficulty walking, overall stiffness and a confused look on his face can be signs of statin drugs. Hearing the man acknowledge his memory loss prompted me to speak up and break a ‘code of silence’ that pervades the medical world. Obviously, these can be signs of many conditions, and I am not attempting to diagnose anything. I am not a doctor. These are simple observations. So, do I file the impressions away as ‘interesting’, ‘mind my own business’ and go on my way?

If you see a car with a low tire or a brake light out it is a common courtesy to inform the driver of the safety issue. Likewise, we are thankful to find out when our car has a problem. We don’t remain silent and ponder how much the ticket might be for the person or speculate on what kind of car wreck and injuries they might experience. We don’t expect a policeman or mechanic to be the only people authorized to alert the driver.

Enter the field of health and medicine. It has become an information free-for-all of doctors, therapists, experts, frauds, internet gurus….and you, to try to make some sense of it all. The common disclaimer on supplements and health products is “ask your doctor”. The level and depth of proficiency that each doctor has is highly variable and questionable. Certifications and licenses imply a standardized level of knowledge. They do not guarantee the doctor or practitioner keeps up with new discoveries. Usually the higher a person climbs on expert and professional ladders the louder the CD. The CD will never achieve the obscurity of the 8 tracks! Fear, obedience, denial and dogmas permeate all professions and human conditioning.

Cognitive dissonance (CD) is the mental stress and turmoil that occur when trying to accommodate new information that appears to be true but is not in line with existing beliefs. I would add to this ‘AO’, authoritative obedience. When is it safe to speak up in the face of glaring new evidence that shows the consensus understanding needs to be tweaked? There is an active movement of whistleblowers speaking up to bring attention to suppressed or ignored scientific findings. Both CD and AO are aspects of human nature that also serve to slow down the advancement of science and medicine. Authority and status can often censor free thinking and innovative research.

I did ask the man if he took statins. He said yes, and added that his memory loss and muscle pain started within weeks of beginning statins. I suggested that he talk with his doctor and educate himself. I often refer people to Dr. Graveline’s website www.spacedoc.com. He is an MD that has authored several books on statins including ‘Statin Damage Crisis’. He lost his memory after taking a low dose statin for only six weeks. It took about nine months to reverse most of the statin effects. I was willing to take a few minutes and talk to him because so many people have thanked me for suggesting they talk to their doctor and educate themselves. Many discovered it was the statins causing their problems and found safer ways to deal with elevated cholesterol.

For years I recognized my own CD and the AO associated with it, but was too fearful to speak up. Science, religion, education, politics….all have questionable rules and behaviors. It is a daily opportunity for me to untangle from the ‘group think’ and find more of me, and live more of me. It has taken experiences that have shaken me to my core to really understand the true cost of the ‘price of silence’.