starrwriter
12-17-2005, 02:13 PM
Get the leeches out. Modern medicine seems headed back to the 18th century when hucksters sold snake oil as a cure-all, bloodletting was standard medical practice and doctors drilled holes in the heads of mentally ill people to let the "evil spirits" out.
Crestor is the most widely prescribed drug to lower cholesterol, which is supposed to be the primary cause of arteriosclerosis (heart attack and stroke), the number one killer of people who die before their time. Crestor is a billion-dollar drug in worldwide sales and, along with other statin drugs, is the main medical treatment today for people at high risk for heart attack or stroke.
But wait. What was that disclaimer I saw in small print in the lower left corner of a TV ad for Crestor? The ad where actor Mandy Potemkin walks down a spiral staircase to simulate the lowering of cholesterol. It's this: "Crestor has not been proven to reduce the chance of heart attack or stroke."
Huh? Am I seeing things? If Crestor hasn't been shown to protect people from arteriosclerosis, then why should they take this expensive drug?
It gets worse when you read the possible side effects of Crestor: crippling muscle and bone damage, kidney failure and CARDIAC ARREST! We have gone through the mirror to LaLa Land when millions of heart patients are taking a drug that can cause heart attacks.
Hello? Anyone home at the Food and Drug Administration? Why was this snake oil approved as "safe and effective"? Do we even have an FDA any longer or have they completely sold out to the pharmaceutical industry?
All this reminds me of a TV special by John Stossel, a born skeptic. A higher than average salt intake supposedly raises bloood pressure, another factor cited as a cause of arteriosclerosis. Stossel badgered one medical expert after another until he finally got them to admit there is absolutely no scientific evidence to support this view. In point of fact, only 1 out of 6 people is adversely affected by high sodium intake. The other 5 out of 6 can eat as much salt as they wish without raising their blood pressure or risk of heart disease.
There is too much "scientism" (phony science) in modern medicine and it is driven by the profit motive rather than an honest if misguided attempt to heal sick people.
I won't die of arteriosclerosis and I'll tell you why. Not a single member of my recent family line has died of a heart attack or stroke. The ones who succumbed to disease rather than accident or very old age died from cancer, tuberculosis, hemorrhage and one or two exotic medical conditions. I don't have the genes for a heart attack or stroke. Those who do can avoid saturated fats and salt in their diet, exercise regularly, keep their weight down, take Crestor or other statin drugs to lower their bad cholesterol -- and the majority will still die of arterioscelorsis before they retire from work. This situation won't change until medical science learns how to remove the genes that predispose people to heart attacks and strokes. That day may be coming, but it's not here yet and it may not happen in your lifetime.
Meanwhile, you can believe that modern medicine is out to improve your health and see where it gets you the next time you get deathly ill. That's what a friend of mine did. At age 60 he suffered a heart attack and his doctor prescribed Lipitor, a statin drug similar to Crestor. Lipitor not only failed to lower my friend's cholesterol level, it caused permanent damage to the nerves and muscles of his legs and put him in a wheelchair for the rest of his life.
As an alternative, you could rely on one of two unexplained phenomenon to save your life. The placebo effect involves the patient taking a useless but safe drug after being told it will cure his medical condition. This works in about 60% of cases. Or you could do nothing when you get sick -- no doctor visit, no drugs, just tough it out. In a remarkably similar 60% of cases, the medical condition will improve or disappear with no treatment at all. No one knows exactly why the placebo effect or non-treatment works as often as it does.
Personally, I take the advice I once got from that rarest of rare species, the honest doctor who cares more about people than money. He said: "Stay away from doctors' offices as much as possible. If you think you're actually dying, go to the emergency room of a hospital. A young intern is your best bet to survive."
Crestor is the most widely prescribed drug to lower cholesterol, which is supposed to be the primary cause of arteriosclerosis (heart attack and stroke), the number one killer of people who die before their time. Crestor is a billion-dollar drug in worldwide sales and, along with other statin drugs, is the main medical treatment today for people at high risk for heart attack or stroke.
But wait. What was that disclaimer I saw in small print in the lower left corner of a TV ad for Crestor? The ad where actor Mandy Potemkin walks down a spiral staircase to simulate the lowering of cholesterol. It's this: "Crestor has not been proven to reduce the chance of heart attack or stroke."
Huh? Am I seeing things? If Crestor hasn't been shown to protect people from arteriosclerosis, then why should they take this expensive drug?
It gets worse when you read the possible side effects of Crestor: crippling muscle and bone damage, kidney failure and CARDIAC ARREST! We have gone through the mirror to LaLa Land when millions of heart patients are taking a drug that can cause heart attacks.
Hello? Anyone home at the Food and Drug Administration? Why was this snake oil approved as "safe and effective"? Do we even have an FDA any longer or have they completely sold out to the pharmaceutical industry?
All this reminds me of a TV special by John Stossel, a born skeptic. A higher than average salt intake supposedly raises bloood pressure, another factor cited as a cause of arteriosclerosis. Stossel badgered one medical expert after another until he finally got them to admit there is absolutely no scientific evidence to support this view. In point of fact, only 1 out of 6 people is adversely affected by high sodium intake. The other 5 out of 6 can eat as much salt as they wish without raising their blood pressure or risk of heart disease.
There is too much "scientism" (phony science) in modern medicine and it is driven by the profit motive rather than an honest if misguided attempt to heal sick people.
I won't die of arteriosclerosis and I'll tell you why. Not a single member of my recent family line has died of a heart attack or stroke. The ones who succumbed to disease rather than accident or very old age died from cancer, tuberculosis, hemorrhage and one or two exotic medical conditions. I don't have the genes for a heart attack or stroke. Those who do can avoid saturated fats and salt in their diet, exercise regularly, keep their weight down, take Crestor or other statin drugs to lower their bad cholesterol -- and the majority will still die of arterioscelorsis before they retire from work. This situation won't change until medical science learns how to remove the genes that predispose people to heart attacks and strokes. That day may be coming, but it's not here yet and it may not happen in your lifetime.
Meanwhile, you can believe that modern medicine is out to improve your health and see where it gets you the next time you get deathly ill. That's what a friend of mine did. At age 60 he suffered a heart attack and his doctor prescribed Lipitor, a statin drug similar to Crestor. Lipitor not only failed to lower my friend's cholesterol level, it caused permanent damage to the nerves and muscles of his legs and put him in a wheelchair for the rest of his life.
As an alternative, you could rely on one of two unexplained phenomenon to save your life. The placebo effect involves the patient taking a useless but safe drug after being told it will cure his medical condition. This works in about 60% of cases. Or you could do nothing when you get sick -- no doctor visit, no drugs, just tough it out. In a remarkably similar 60% of cases, the medical condition will improve or disappear with no treatment at all. No one knows exactly why the placebo effect or non-treatment works as often as it does.
Personally, I take the advice I once got from that rarest of rare species, the honest doctor who cares more about people than money. He said: "Stay away from doctors' offices as much as possible. If you think you're actually dying, go to the emergency room of a hospital. A young intern is your best bet to survive."