Tuesday, July 20, 2004

Nurse Mark Still Suspicious of Big Pharmacy For Some, Aspirin May Not Help Hearts Could it be that we are seeing, yet again, evidence of the Big Pharmaceutical Company's successful marketing of a drug with questionable value? I know that it is almost "Anti-American" to say anything bad about Aspirin - kinda' like saying that Mom and apple pie are suspect - but really, doesn't this look like decades of marketing by the drug companies beginning to come unraveled? I have even begun to see references to studies suggesting that our medical community's mantra of "An aspirin a day," reinforced by the Big Pharmaceutical Company's and Big Advertising Company's unceasing promotions to both professional and lay people, may even carry some danger - with some of these studies suggesting that the drug really doesn't do much to reduce the chances of heart attack, but that stopping the use of aspirin may actually increase the risk of a heart attack! Who'da thunk it ? Aspirin an addictive drug! Yep, that's right, addictive - 'cause it appears that at least for some individuals who are taking it regularly there may be some risk in stopping it! The mind boggles... (Don't get me wrong - if I think you are having a heart attack I'm still going give you an Aspirin and tell you to chew it and swallow it - one Aspirin, one time, because that is the standard of care and it appears to have some benefit!) Cheers, Nurse Mark   8:29:28 AM

"New" Guidelines to Prevent Alzheimer's Maintain Your Brain Well, not really new, but new to conventional medical camps who have "officially" announced that three simple measures dramatically reduce the likelihood of Alzheimer's disease in older people. The three preventive measures are: 1.) Eat more veggies, especially broccoli and spinach. (In addition to eating these foods, I also take Maxi Greens which contains both of these "Super Foods" plus many others). 2.) Stay mentally active. You heard right.... think! Play cards, work crossword puzzles, read books. The old saying "if you don't use it, you'll lose it" appears to apply to brain-power as well. 3.) Maintain a normal weight. Alzheimer's appears to strike far more frequently in people who are overweight, especially after age 50. If you're a chub, time to lighten up if you want to protect your brain cells. Of course, we should all be doing these things for other health reasons, too. Simple diet improvements, normal weight and thinking. Sounds like preventing brain deterioration should be simple enough! Have a Healthy Day! Dr. Myatt         7:54:58 AM

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