John Arts Abundant Living www.johnarts.co.nz

Muscle pain is one of the most common complaints. This may be anything from statin myopathy to PMR or Fibromyalgia. Statin myopathy is of the most common forms of muscle pain. This is a collection of muscular and other symptoms caused by side effects of commonly prescribed cholesterol lowering statin medication. Statins drugs are very effective at reducing the amount of cholesterol in our blood. They do this by inhibiting an enzyme needed to make cholesterol. Unfortunately this enzyme is also needed for the production of Co enzyme Q10. Statins reduce both cholesterol and CoQ10.

The main function of CoQ10 is to produce energy needed for our body demands, especially for our muscles. Think of CoQ10 like the spark plugs and exhaust system in your car engine. Without a good spark a petrol engine will not run properly. With insufficient CoQ10 the trillions of little engines (mitochondria) in your muscle cells will not produce enough energy and you feel general fatigue and weakness, stiffness and pain in your muscles.

Low CoQ10 levels can have a disastrous effect on muscles. Alarmingly, the highest levels of CoQ10 are found in heart muscle. If you think you have these symptoms you should talk to your doctor as sometimes a change in medication or dosage can help. I recommend everyone on statins take 100mg of high grade CoQ10 to compensate and there are an increasing number of doctors who suggest CoQ10 supplementation to counter statin myopathy.

The CoQ10 I prefer is a trademarked product that is proven to increase cell CoQ10 levels and includes vitamin E compounds known to help cholesterol balance. For those on statins my first goal is to prevent or reduce any statin myopathy but just as importantly to create a full cardiovascular nutrition programme. I invariably add a range of nutrients to help with circulation and to protect blood vessels especially coronary arteries from the free radical damage and inflammation central to the formation of artery-blocking plaques. Give me a call if you need more information. To join my weekly newsletter go to www.johnarts.co.nz and visit www.abundant.co.nz

John Arts is the founder of Abundant Health. To contact John phone 0800 423 559. To read more go to www.sunlive.co.nz