Doctors have opinions, second, third, fourth....on pretty much everything. Here are a few of mine. They are subject to change. And there's no better example than:
Titanically incorrect diets
Check this out!
Gilman MW, et al. Inverse association of dietary fat with development of ischemic stroke in men. JAMA 1997;278:2145-2150
I missed this when the media gave it 16 minutes but 832 men between 45 and 65 followed for 20 years had 61 strokes.Believe it or not, those with the highest fat intake (51% calories from fat) had the lowest rate of strokes - 41 per 1000 while those with the lowest fat intake (26% calories from fat) had a rate of ischemic strokes (white or non-hemorrhagic strokes) almost 3 X higher - 112 per 1000.How did I know there was nothing wrong with a good steak?
A two word reason why Americans are getting fat:
CORN SYRUP.
The collapse* of the gasohol bubble combined with ongoing subsidies left us with no choice but to turn the excess corn into syrup and swallow it. Alternatively, shifting fashions left ADM and other "supermarkets to the world" with no choice but to turn the excess into syrup and sneak it down our gullets. Corn syrup is in everything. At 290 calories per 100 grams, it is incumbent on consumers to READ THE LABELS and stick to basics:
*As of 6/96 corn prices are up due to drought and my theory is on the block: it will be interesting to see if we get skinnier, poorer, both or neither.
I mean there it was in Safeway's COLE SLAW.....HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP.
It used to be when pharmaceutical companies needed human subjects for experiments, they went to third world countries. Now they go to the suburbs.
Janssen Pharmaceutical is paying "$8500 per head" (personal communication, medical director of Janssen) to enroll subjects into an experimental stroke treatment protocol using their experimental drug Lubeluzole. Even though this drug was associated with twice the cardiac mortality of placebo in Phase I trials, that hasn't stopped some neurologists and their hospitals from accepting the money and promoting themselves as offering stroke treatment. As one doc put it: "There's nothing wrong with profit."
While that may be true generally, when it comes to medicine, profit is a poor criteria: quacks have always made more money than honest doctors.
HMO's....this is unfinished but promises to be good. It's a very long story - who cares for the infirm and the elderly?...and precisely how much do they care?
The most recent chapter began with President Clinton's commendable ambition to extend health care to everyone and expand Medicare coverage to medications and nursing homes. Remember?
Now I'm not suggesting he wanted her out of the house, but he turned the job over to Hillary who went into secret huddles with Ira and squads of pious paranoid policy wonks (Buchanan started alliteration as a weapon with his "nattering nabobs of negativim," written for Spiro Agnew's last great speech before he almost went to jail), enjoyed focus groups, spent lots of money and endless months and left the entire business of health care reform a stinking corpse with everyone running away.
Well, not quite everyone. There are those who thrive amidst stinking corpses e.g. vultures, hyenas, earthworms, hardworking ants...(to be continued)
Wait!
Protect Honest Opinions Prohibits gag clauses Protects independent opinons Prevents denials of tests and treatments for the good of the HMO Vote YES on Proposition 214 and read it. The language is clear.
As of April 1998 ancient history...
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Comments? Mail to: DrJohn@idiom.com John M. Friedberg, M.D.copyright 1995-98©