What are the better ways, Bluebelle. I’m not asking to be sarcastic, I’m genuinely interested to know what you think is a better alternative to taking statins?
I’m aware that changing your diet so that you reduce your saturated fat intake can help, and is probably a wise thing to do whether you are on statins or not and also taking regular exercise is important, but for some people, these measures alone aren’t going to be enough, particularly if there is a close family history for stroke, heart attack, etc and if you have other existing conditions such as hypertension and there is also an hereditary condition (I forget it’s name without checking) where people have high cholesterol which needs monitoring and treatment.
Certainly changing diet can be a first try for some, and that might be enough, but it’s not always the case for some people.
I think that what can be lacking at some surgeries, is the lack of adequate discussion between doctor and patient before the decision is made to put someone on statins - they are too keen on telephone consultations at the moment, (I understand that covid has meant this is necessary for routine appointments), and if you are taken by surprise by what the doctor is telling you, you might not have prepared enough pertinent questions to ask before making a decision that is right for you. Not everyone is comfortable with telephone consultations.
