DoctorOz: Statins as a Wake-Up Call for Health

There's an opportunity to make the lifestyle changes you need to reduce your risk for heart disease. And our viewers who are worried about heart disease are back. You're all back for an important reason. I think it's important for them to meet my next guest. Her name is Brenda. She used her prescription for statins as a motivation to transform her health. I pay attention to every sign my body gives me. I knew there was something wrong. I knew I had to get myself to the doctor. When the doctor told me that I had to go on statin for my cholesterol, it really shocked me. This was totally a wake-up call for me. I just didn't think that the way I was eating was going to hurt me. My food choices should have been better. Keeping up with your diet? Sure am. The doctor told me I had to change my lifestyle, my way of eating. And ever since then, I've been doing what I have to do. It feels great to just know that I can lose weight and I can be healthy. I feel like I've been given another chance to live. What was this prescription for statins such a breakthrough moment for you? Oh wow. It taught me that life's too short. It's I have to do what I have to do to eat healthy and live longer. What's changed since you got that prescription? I've actually changed my whole lifestyle. More proportioned eating. It's been hard. That's why. It's just been a journey for me. But I weigh my foods. I measure my foods. You're careful. Yeah. You're aware. Yes. More aware than ever. And how has it changed your numbers? Oh wow. I'm happy to report Dr. Oz. I'm so excited. My LDL went from 143 to 81. You're kidding me. Yes. The specific steps are important, but I actually want to focus a bit more on the emotion that goes into this. And I've struggled a lot personally about giving people medications. I have to do it as a doctor. You guys are always coming to me saying you have to be on those pills. Instead of saying what to do with regard to the pill, let's talk about what the motivation is. What happens if you know that that's a possibility? So as an example, Linda, can I pick on you? Linda back there just stood up because she actually, in theory, needs to be on a statin. Didn't know that before today's show. Not surprisingly, I sense a little resistance. What would you tell Linda? And can I just pick on Roxanne for a second because she was so kind and pulled her heart around. Now Roxanne, I noticed you didn't stand when I asked people if they needed to be on a statin. Hold on if you don't mind, dear. Oh, you actually have a mic. You don't need it. Oh, yes. So should you have stood when I gave those numbers? I should have. It's a little embarrassing. Don't be embarrassed. The whole point of this is there's no embarrassment zone. Listen, we can be embarrassed about pee and poop, but we shouldn't be embarrassed about lifestyle. So why didn't you want to stand up when you knew your numbers would actually indicate you probably need to be on one? I should have stood up, but, you know, I need to take better care, but I'm just embarrassed to get that start to kind of make it better. I'm going to turn it over to you. Brenda, you've been there. Yes. What's your Roxanne? And what should Linda be thinking when they know that their doctor is going to give them a statin? And yet, they also see that your numbers dramatically shifted. Well, first ladies, we only have one life to live. So you need to control your life. You can't let medications control yours. So before you're put on statin or if you are on statin, you have to tell yourself, what can I do to better myself, to live longer? You have family, you know, change your way of eating, measure your foods if you have to, go from white rice to brown rice, cut down on your sodium, exercise is important. It's key. Walking, incorporate three days, four days a week walking. It helps you. It makes you feel better with yourself. And once you see that your pounds start to melt off, you just like, you're amazed and you just want to keep going. But you can only do this for yourself. No one's going to do it for you. I got a co-host here. Okay. Hallelujah. All right. I want you to hold that, Linda. I want you to be a viewer. You were a little bit awkward about this earlier. Yes. Someone who's now a friend of yours, because she's giving you advice, so everyone gives you advice as a friend, is just where you are. And yet, you know, with changes that obviously aren't super simple, but doable without difficulty, dramatically shifted everything so much so that, you know, who knows, maybe you don't even stay in this statin. Maybe the doctor wants you off it now that your numbers are so perfect. So where does that leave you with this conversation? I will discuss with my doctor. I think I have to go now, Will. And Roxanne, what about you, since you were brave enough to cart around a heart for three days? Which is awesome. Yeah. I'm definitely going to speak to my doctor and see what I need to do to, I know what I need to do now to make these changes in my life, but I'm definitely going to speak to my doctor and take it from there. That's actually the final step, is that conversation. And again, it's not a penalty shot. You know, folks are sometimes embarrassed and ashamed about this. It's a conversation that literally is going to allow you to figure out, do I need to be on something or not? Do I need to be on it for a short period of time, then get off it? Do I need to be on it for the rest of my life? Who the heck knows? And three months after you start on a statin, if you're going to be on one, and in both your cases, they're probably going to put you on one. Three months after that, within three months, I want that conversation taking place so they can say, you know what? Let's pull back here. You're doing so well, Linda, you don't need to be on anything. Or Roxanne, you've got some genetic issue, let's not miss the boat here because you're young and beautiful. Let's keep you looking that way. And I'm okay either way, frankly, as long as we're doing it with awareness. Right. But right now, not knowing is not, you know, that is a decision too, by the way. Not acting on something is a decision. It's not the right one, but it is a decision. As proactive as acting on it. So I don't want this conversation to end it here. I've asked the American Heart Association, you guys have anything? Yeah, I want to tell you, I lost ten and a half pounds in a month. Are you kidding me? Yes. You're burying the lead. The big news. Yes, I know. That is fantastic. Thank you. So you all know what the American Heart Association is, right? Fantastic organization. I've been a member of it my whole life. They, you know, sort of speak for doctors in America who deal with heart disease. So we've teamed up with them. And if you go to hashtag MyHeartPledge, I want everyone in the audience that weren't home to do this. I want you to take this pledge. Especially, especially if your doctor recommended a statin or you think you need to be on one based on today's show. You can go to DrRoz.com or go to my Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram feeds to take the pledge and then you can share it with people so they know that you took that pledge. It's not committing you to anything except taking care of yourself. Read it carefully. It's simple to understand. And I want to hear back from all of you in three months about your progress. Don't worry. I will be there all along to support you because I care about you. You all right? You going to be with them? Yes. They got this. We got my co-host here anyway. Brenda. When we come back, more health headlines from the summer. And not all of them were true. We're going to figure out if you can spot the fakes, so stay with us.