I think certain people need statins eg if they have already had a heart attack or a near miss with stents being placed. Statins are more appropriate for men than women. I'm not aware of any good quality research on women and statins.
Offering statins based on total cholesterol and not a breakdown is poor practice IMO.
The common side effects of statins freak me the **** out, especially since they can be permanent after stopping the drug. How in the world did such a drug ever get approved, let alone promoted for people who clearly will not benefit from it. (Rhetorical question).
As a woman with no major CVD risk factors I will never risk my already fragile health by taking statins.
I never let a nurse or doctor pressure me, either. I think they know this and they reserve their "strong recommendations" for truly life/health threatening issues that I always agree with because I do my own due diligence.
Half the time I'm the one who raises their awareness or understanding of an issue, and they thank me.
I do agree with retired GP
@kitedoc's post, however. Particularly because I have read on the forum that in the UK some nurses or doctors take a dim view of diabetic patients cancelling appointments, and I don't think we don't need the extra complication of having to beg to be put back on their schedule for regular care.
I let them go on about the Eatwell Plate if they wish to... I don't have to agree with them or follow their unscientific advice, I just smile sweetly and get what I need from them and go.
I have a respiratory therapist who uses her annual appointment with me to lecture me about the dangers of checking my own CPAP machine's data or using the internet at all to better understand my OSA and keep up with rapid technological change. It obviously threatens her self esteem that I, a mere layperson, may be capable of learning more about my own body and the expensive medical device I worked hard to buy, than her 20 year old degree and piecemeal training updates did. If I had taken her advice years ago when making treatment decisions I would probably be dead by now.
People need to start doing as much homework on their health needs as they do before buying a house or car. This forum is an excellent place to start so I thank you all!