KILLING THE MESSENGER - CHOLESTEROL

I found this blog as a result of a link on a message board. This article is very well written and should be read by all who have been or are worried about their cholesterol levels.

In her blog, Kate wrote:

I believe in a healthy cholesterol reading. I mean, I really think that 350-400 is too high.
And even then, I don’t think other factors should be ignored. In lowering a dangerously high level, I took steps to help myself in other ways, as well. So my body wouldn’t keep raising my cholesterol. The main thing I did was lose weight.
But this post is for those people who really do not have a “problem”

My sister-in-law went to the Dr. for a checkup and was told hers was 210.
She was put on Lipitor. She had no idea why, just did it because he’s her doctor and he knows best. Her insurance paid it so great. No problem there. But is this the answer to a problem that isn’t a problem at all? She was otherwise healthy.
Or so she thought.

To read the rest of the post, CLICK HERE.

Last day of the year!!

Recomitting, Starting Over.....

Whatever we want to call it, it's all the same thing. We need, at times, to blow off some steam.....and some of us do that with food. When that happens, we need to recommit to our original plan towards health and weight loss.

For me, this time, the trigger was staying home too long after my son's accident.....combined being cash poor.....and the holiday season.

I was doing great when Bri had his accident. I was quite proud of myself for not eating anything unacceptable on my plan. I worked from home for about 2 1/2 weeks after the accidnet....so far, so good. Then, after seeing the doc.....and going back to work to find homemade cookies on my desk (my boss's famous sugar cookies and the best oatmeal chocolate chip ever)....and having a "holiday breakfast" at work that was 95% carbs....and not having enough money to buy what I want for Christmas presents.....well, it all kinda came crashing down.

At first I was careful, I had some of the treats at the breakfast, but had a good lunch and dinner. Of course I had some of the cookies, but I shared them with my son.

But then things got totally out of control. Today I have had lots of bad stuff.....not just high carb, but junk! Highly processed, empty calorie, high carb junk. Today I was better than I was yesterday. Today I limited myself, "allowed" myself just a little, after eating good, healthy foods.

January 1, 2007 I totally recommit to changing my lifestyle to what I believe is the healthiest lifestyle.

That lifestyle includes

• Following a low carb plan, specifically Protein Power Life Plan
• Protein requirements = 102g/day (102g = 408 calories)
  
• Carb level = under 40g/day (40g = 160 calories)
• Total daily calories at least 1200.
  
• No fruit X2 weeks, then berries to start
  
• Minimal use of dairy and grains
• Nuts allowed up to once a day
  
• Drinking lots of plain water, at least 80% of intake
• Hot coffee with cream or hot tea with milk acceptable
• Sugar free soda max 2 bottles/cans per week
• NO sugar free hot chocolate
  
• Getting into an exercise program I can keep up.....details to follow
• Minimizing the use of processed foods, artificial sweeteners
  
• Looking for recipe to make small amount of mayo, say a cup or two?
  
• Looking for recipe to make small amount of dressing, 1 cup max.
  

January 1, I will measure myself and record the measurements in Fitday PC. I will also weigh myself. I fear I may be back where I started weight-wise.....and I'm sure at least some of my measurements are larger. I will also update my ticker and post it here.

I am starting with 3 challenges.

• Loose 20 pounds in 20 weeks.
  
• January 1 = starting date
• May 21 = ending date
  
• Walk in neighborhood at least 3 times a week
• Try at least 2 new recipes a month. Record recipe, picture, and opinion here.

Still have to come up with an exercise plan I can live with....but walking and biking will be part of it.

Tomorrow starts a new year. I am hoping it will be a better year. 2006 was not a good year overall, so I am really hoping 2007 will be better!!!

Map

Map moved to bottom...please! add yourself!!!

I'd love to see who reads my blog and where you're located!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

Update on my son

Well, we finally saw the doctor on Thrusday and there's no new news.

This time we actually saw the attending, not just the resident. The first thing they did was more XRays, which we expected. They took several films, from the side and from the front. They removed the collar before the films, and my son had to bend his neck for the films. He had to bend forward, so his chin was "on his chest" and he had to bend back, so he was looking at the ceiling. No "pushing it", he was told to bend his neck only to the point of pain.

The docs poked at his neck, with and without the collar, and also asked him to move and tell them how much pain he was having. Amazingly, he only had "mild" pain when he attempted to put his chin on his chest, but he also didn't get even close to his chest! His range of motion is very limited!

The doc showed us his films, including the MRI that was done the day of the accident. He has a displaced vertebra, and that's what they're worried about. If looked at from the side, the botton of one vertebra sticks out a tad more than the top of the one below. It's very easy to see on the films, and really doesn't look like much!

The doc explained that this displacement usually indicates that the disc (the cartilage between each vertebra) is damaged, although there was no sign of damage on the MRI. He also said that it may take "a while" before the damage to the disc is evident on MRI.

The good news? My son can pretty much do as he pleases, although obviously driving is still out, as he has to continue to wear his collar 24/7. He can remove the collar for shaving and showering, but otherwise must wear it at all times.

The bad news? There is still a very real possiblity that he will need to have surgery! It seems that this particular injury, unless it stabilizes, can and likely will get worse over the years, leading to a steady progression of worsening damage. This will cause him to gradually curl forward....his head will gradually move forward, so eventually he'll look like he's about to topple over!!!
This is an example, more severe than my son's, of the dislocation that he has. Note the top vertebra is pushed forward. My son't injury is similar, but not as dramatic....and it's a lower vertebra that's involved.

If this doesn't stabilize, he will need surgery. Surgery means a scarey procedure and possibly being in a halo for several months! (Doc didn't sepcify, but looking online for info, it seems 50/50 that he could be in a halo or just continue in the hard collar.)

So....we're still in a holding pattern. Brian's been told he can go back to work, if they'll allow him, but has a weight limit of 5 pounds, and will have to continue to wear his collar. I doubt his company will allow him back with the collar, but he's going to try!

We still haven't seen the car. Brian and a friend will be going this week to see if they can get any personal possessions out of it. His leather jacket, all his DVDs and many of his CDs are in the car. He also has about $300 worth of stereo equipment in the car and is hoping at least some of it is salvagable. He'll get pics when he goes to the tow company. When I see the pics, I'll post them here.

What a day!!!

Early AM Wednesday I got the call that all parents dread.

"Hi mom....I'm OK, but I'm in the ER at Duke. I flipped my car last night"

Needless to say, I grabbed some clothes and threw them on....then grabbed my cell, wallet and keys and ran out the door. He sounded a bit groggy, but he made sense, and I just kept praying all the way to the hospital.

When I got there I practically threw my keys at the valet guy and ran into the ER. You now have to go through the metal detectors and ask a woman if you can go in, where to go, etc. Room 14 I was told and given a stick on visitor's pass.

With a little help, I found his room. Door was shut. I knocked gently and opened the door.

To find my 22 year old son lying flat on his back with a cervical collar on. He had 2 IVs, on in each arm, and he had all the monitoring stuff (heart, BP, Oxygen sensor) on him....but nothing was hooked up!!! No sooner did I walk in, and he says "I'm going to be sick" and started to roll over! An aide handed me a bucket to hold for him, and said she'd get a nurse.

Within a matter of minutes, a nurse came in and started futzing around with his IVs. She asked if he was vomiting, and I said no, just dry heaves. She got him a medication for nausea and gave it to him IV and the nausea quickly subsided.

At this point, I asked how he was and was told by the nurse that she'd get his doctor. My son told me that he was OK, but "they told me I broke something in my back"! I nearly passed out on the spot!!!

Now, I'm a RN and have been for over 30 years. I've taken care of many a back patient, and even worked for almost 2 years with teens and young adults that were paraplegic and quadriplegic. I know how to "log roll" a patient onto their side to (hopefully) not do further damage to their spine. I also know that in auto accidents, especially if the car rolls, that a collar is placed at the scene and is often left on for much longer than is necessary. The nurse, of course, couldn't really tell me anything.

When I asked about his monitors, they did hook things up and got readings. All were within normal limits.

I was able to ask my son what happened, and found that he hit his brakes to avoid a deer and that his car "fishtailed" and "next thing I knew I was in a ditch, upside down. My arm was stuck in the sunroof, and they had to partly lift the car to get me out". While he's telling me this, I noticed that he was moving all 4 extremities, so at least I knew he hadn't done any permanent damage to his spinal cord. He was moving his legs a lot and complaining about his lower back, so I assumed that's where the break was.

Eventually, after he was given pain medication, twice, the doctor showed up. It was an orthopedic resident, and he explained that they had done Xrays and a CT Scan and that my son had broken 2 vertebra in his neck! The doc told me they were "pretty sure" that the break was stable, but had to do 2 more Xrays to check it out. They were going to do a film of him lying flat, then a second one of him standing.

A few minutes later they took him to Xray and over the next 30 minutes or so they took a bunch more films. They didn't stand him, but took the "standing" one with him sitting. Not sure why, I never got an explanation....but it could simply be because of his height, he's over 6'3" tall. In any event, the doc then decided that this wasn't sufficient and now they needed an MRI.

It took a few hours, but they finally got the MRI and decided that his fracture was "pretty stable" and they didn't need to do surgery. Now, a bit of explanation. The facet joint is on the side of the spine, where the separate vertebra are joined. It's what allows the bones to move independently of each other while holding the spine together. The bones are supposed to move, but they're supposed to move as one piece, not two, and if the pieces get displaced injury to the spine and/or spinal nerves can result.

My son's fractures were at the C3-4 level, which is very high, and at minimum would result in quadriplegia, if not also being ventilator dependent. My understanding is that a facet fracture would more likely cause damage to the nerves leaving the spine, rather than to the spine itself, but I'm not 100% sure. In any event. He was very lucky. The break could have been worse....and the results could have been devastating!!! What would be considered "life altering".

Hy son only has to wear a hard cervical collar for 6-8 weeks. He will likely have some problems for life, probably at minimum constant or recurring neck pain or discomfort. A small price to pay for surviving relatively intact!!! He's hurting a bit right now, but really, not as much as I expected!

My son, in his collar.

He's really not upset for me taking the picture, he wanted me to!

He's not sleeping, he just closed his eyes as I took the pic. Looks comfy, huh?

How did the accident happen? What did happen?

My son was driving home, late, from a friend's house. The roads are all "country" back roads, meaning they are generally 1 lane in each direction, lightly populated, and usually posted with fairly high speeds. Where he was the speed was 55mph. They estimated his speed at about 70mph, but he says "no way" and anyone that knows his, knows that he's a slow driver! He's a total car nut, but he also respects cars and doesn't abuse them. He says he didn't drive this car too fast because it was old. He really loved that car!

Before the accident. 1986 Ford Thunderbird. He's only had it for about 8 months, paid for it himself over about 3 months. Had been in the middle of fixing it up....new battery, alternator, sound system.

Anyway, Brian was driving home, and came over a hill and saw a deer right in front of him. He knows he's supposed to just hit the thing, but he reacted (as most of us would) and hit the brakes. When he braked, his car fishtailed, and he over corrected. He skidded across the road and ended up in a ditch. The car apparently rolled over into the ditch, but we're not sure.

He says he never lost consciousness, but it took a few seconds for him to realize he was upside down. He was pinned, but able to move around and looked for his cell phone so he could call for help. He couldn't find the phone, so he set off his car alarm and honked his horn (SOS!!) to get someones attention. Eventually, he's not sure how long it took, someone came and called 911.

When EMS arrived, he said they broke windows and used the "jaws of life" to get him out. They also had to lift the car to free his arm, which was caught in the sunroof. When he was free, he was able to crawl through the side window and said when he got about halfway out the EMS pulled him out the rest of the way. He was then put on a backboard and a collar was applied. From there, he was taken to the Duke ER's Trauma area. After doing the initial Xrays and scans, he was sent to the non-acute area, where he was when I arrived.

I have several concerns about his treatment, and will post more on that.

Will also post pictures of the accident area and the car when I get them.

For now, I am just so thankful and relieved! A mother's worst nightmare....and it all turned out well. I think he had a Guardian Angel sitting on his shoulder that night!!!

Chocolate

In light of the recent study done on chocolate, I decided to post my new favorite treat.

I use ChocoPerfection dark chocolate, as no additional sweetener is needed.

It's really easy:

Chocolate Pecan Patty:
1 (1.8oz) bar dark ChocoPerfection
1 T butter
1 oz (1/4c) pecan halves.

In small pan, melt butter and then add pecans.
Cook pecans 5-10 min over very low heat, making sure nothing burns. Stir frequently.
Add the ChocoPerfection bar and stir until all chocolate is melted and nuts/butter is well mixed.

Remove from heat and let the choclate mixture cool a bit. While chocolate is cooling, line a small bowl with aluminum foil. Pour chocolate mixture into foil lined bowl and let cool. Be sure to scrape the pan well to be sure no chocolate is left behind. Be sure to use a metal or silicone scraper to prevent melting!! (the first time I tried this my spatula melted!)

Entire recipe:
Calories: 496
Fat: 50g (Sat: 21g, Poly: 7g, Mono: 15g)
Carbs: 21 (Fiber: 17g, Sugar alcohols: ?2g from Erythritol)
Protein: 5g

Give the ChocoPerfection a try. They have free shipping within the US! You can also buy SweetPerfection, which ic oligofructose (made from chicory and mung beans), which contains 5 net carbs per cup (127g total carbs, 122 are fiber).

Doesn't this look good?

Dare I hope?

Just got off the phone with my sister. She's 65 yrs old and in pretty good health. But, she's diabetic and has high blood sugars and high BP.

Here are her meds: "Meds are Glyburide, 5 mg each tablet, 2 in the AM, one in the PM and Metformin HCL 500 mg tabletsan, 2 in AM, 2 in PM" I'm not sure what her BP meds are, but last I heard she was taking 2 different ones.

And here is her most recent A1c: "my last Ac1 or A1C (can never remember proper letters.........was 6.2 or 3 lat April, also they did a finer prick the 18th of October when I was there and that was very good"

I have (gently) tried to talk to her in the past about her levels, but today I said the hell with it and told her that I was concerned about her meds.....what's next? Another med? or insulin? She (finally) admitted that this was also worrying to her.

FINALLY she asked me what I would recommend, and without hesitation, I said LOW CARB!!! We talked for almost 2hrs, which is amazing with conversations with my sister....and I really feel she listened to me! (I'm the little sister, and even at 52 I think she often thinks of me as being just 13yrs old! LOL)

My sister is overweight, but not that much. According to BMI calculators, she's "officially" obese, but to me she's just overweight.....but, she carries almost all her weight in her belly!!! And she always has.....even when she was much younger, she always had a big belly!!! Classic sign of insulin resistance and/or diabetes!!! And also a sign of higher risk for heart disease!!

My sister is also trying.....she's trying to follow her diet as recommended by her doc....and she gets her exercise. But over the years her meds continue to increase (she's been diabetic over 15yrs). So far, however, she has no evidence of heart disease, vascular problems (other than high BP), or kidney disease....the usually complications of diabetes. I guess even with the family history of diabetes, we're pretty lucky as so far there is NO heart disease in the diabetics in the family, and most live well into their 80s.

She seems to be very lucky, in that she's not showing any signs of complications of her diabetes, although I think now she may have gastroparesis, as she says she's rarely hungry. My sister has always had a healthy appetite! She's also lost a little weight recently, which concerns me. Unfortunately, I strongly suspect that her recent improvement in her weight and blood sugars is due to her lack of appetite, not better diet choices. (2 summers ago she visited and her blood sugars were running in the 160's, but now they're in the 140's)

Now, let me tell you a little about my sister. She's my "big sister", 13yrs older than me. She was almost a second mother to me growing up. She married fairly young and had her first child with that marriage, a daughter. She then divorced and lived on her own.....struggled on her own....for about 8 years before meeting and marrying her second husband. They have 2 more children, another girl and a boy. All 3 are now adults with kids of their own.

About 15-20 yrs ago my sister started having problems with sore throats and was eventually diagnosed with cancer of the epiglottis. She was treated with radiation and was actually overdosed, but she survived (her voice is quite hoarse sounding even to this day). Several years later she was diagnosed with cervical cancer and had a hysterectomy as treatment. Since then she's been cancer free....oh! almost, she's had several skin cancers removed and is watched for that.

My sister is no shrinking violet!!! She's a formidable and very intelligent woman!!! She has pretty much raised 3 children on her own (i don't think her hubby wasn't much help there, but I'm sure she'd disagree), and she's worked hard all her life. Currently she's retired, but still works as a union rep. She's a writer, and keeps saying she's going to write more now that she's retired, but so far I haven't seen any evidence that she's done much. My sister can pretty much do what she sets her mind to!!!

I have only 1 sister.....and actually I really only have 1 sibling. My sister and I are 1/2 siblings, but I've never considered her anything other than my big sister! I also have/had 2 brothers. My other 1/2 sibling died at the age of 24 (he was 11 yrs older) from an accident, and left behind 4 young children. I never really knew him. My other brother, a "full" sibling, has divorced himself from the family and won't have anything to do with me or my sister. He's 3yrs older than me, and I really miss him. Last time I went home to visit, I tried to contact him, but according to his wife (who I don't trust or believe), he was away. I haven't seen or talked to him since my mom's death over 12yrs ago. His loss, I know, but I still miss him!!!

I am praying my sister takes my advice and talks to her doc about changing to a low carb diet!!! I was very careful to tell her (repeatedly) to talk to her doc before doing anything on her own, as the diet will likely require her to cut back on her meds and she needs him to help her there....I just hope he doesn't talk her out of it!!!

I've got together a list of websites and bloggers for her to read up on.....I hope it works!!!

I want my sister to live a LONG life!!! She's currently financially comfortable and seems to be enjoying her "retirement". I know in my heart that a low carb diet can help her.....and I just hope she follows my advice and gives it a try.

Millions face risk from drug-coated stents

This is just too important to ignore!!! All of us depend on our doctors to do the right thing. And we depend on the FDA to make sure that drugs and devices are properly tested prior to being introduced for use in the general public. Apparently, the FDA is not doing there job!!

This is from MSN, quoted verbatim:

Potentially lethal heart devices a frightening problem for patients, doctors

Millions of Americans could be walking around with tiny time bombs in their hearts.

The concern centers on devices called drug-eluting stents. Doctors implant them in the hearts of about a million Americans a year to treat coronary artery disease. They generate some $5 billion a year in sales for the two companies that make them. But they may be doing more harm than good.

Next month a panel of experts will try to advise the Food and Drug Administration on what to do about it. But many top doctors and scientists admit they are in uncharted waters with a frightening problem that was largely unanticipated. By one estimate the devices already kill 2,000 Americans a year — and no one knows what the long-term danger will be.

To understand the potential hazard, it helps to look at the history of efforts to open the arteries to the heart when they get clogged with cholesterol-containing plaque. That blockage leads to shortness of breath and the chest pains called angina. If the artery closes completely the result is a heart attack with destruction of heart muscle and often death.

Beginning around 1980, doctors started using tiny balloons inserted on wires through the veins and guided by X-rays to push open the clogged arteries. This procedure, called angioplasty, often worked — but with a problem. In about half the cases the artery would close up again within a few weeks or months, an outcome called restenosis. The re-shutting of the arteries occurs because the blood vessels respond to the treatment as if they suffered a slight wound. They try to heal by growing more cells which can clog the artery again.

Thwarting the body's own healing process
To solve the problem, starting in 1994, cardiologists put tiny pieces of wire mesh called stents around the balloons. These stay in place as a piece of scaffolding to try to keep the arteries open.

These helped, but not enough.

Cells still grew over the wire, and in 20 percent to 30 percent of the cases, the vessel clogged again.

Drug-eluting stents (DES) appeared as the next solution. These give off a drug that prevents cell growth, and for that, they work well. The restenosis rate fell to about 5 percent. In 2003, soon after the FDA approved them, drug-eluting stents captured most of the market, even though they cost about $2,000 compared to $800 for the bare metal version.

Then a new hazard started to appear.

Doctors began seeing patients suffer from heart attacks that seemed to be triggered by the new stents. Because the drug-eluting stents are so effective at stopping the cell proliferation inside the arteries, the DES's end up as a piece of metal sticking out in the artery. That creates a perfect place for a blood clot to form and instantly block the artery. The result? A potentially fatal heart attack.

Dr. Jeffrey Moses of Columbia University, who conducted some of the original studies of the DES's, estimates the danger of a blood clot at 1 in 500 patients a year. For every million of the devices implanted, that would add up to 2,000 clots a year — although not all of them would be fatal.

But an estimate from Drs. Sanjay Kaul and George Diamond from Cedars Sinai in Los Angeles, published on the Web site of the American College of Cardiology, estimates that deaths from the new devices exceed 2,000 a year. Studies from Europe regard the danger to be many times higher. Because the devices are so new no one knows how long the hazard persists.

Already, many cardiologists are cutting back from using the devices. Sales are dropping dramatically. The FDA panel may well recommend they not be used at all.

Companies are searching for alternatives, including balloons that give off the drugs and would be removed at the time of the procedure, as well as stents that dissolve a few weeks after they are implanted.

What's next?
The big question now facing the FDA is: What should the estimated 4 million patients who already have a DES do?

The devices cannot be removed safely or easily. One preventive measure is to keep the patient on the blood-clotting medication Plavix for months or even indefinitely. But that medicine can cause severe bleeding, including a type of deadly stroke, and it costs more than $1,200 a year.

DES manufacturers Boston Scientific and Johnson & Johnson could end up rivaling Vioxx maker Merck as targets of lawsuits from people who suffer heart attacks.

The origin of this terrifying problem is that medical devices, like drugs, get tested for a few months in a few hundred or at most a few thousand of people before the FDA approves them.

Many experts are clamoring for better methods of assuring safety before devices like these go into millions of people for a lifetime.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15816251/

Please note the lines about the Europe saying failure rates are much higher than US estimates!!!

Also, note that these "complication" didn't show up until after approval? Why is that? Is it because the manufacturer gave incomplete or incorrect data to the FDA? It certainly wouldn't be the first time!!!

What ever happened to "First, do no harm"? I guess that should be removed from they Hippocratic oath?

Catching up

Short Term Goal:



And my NEW Short Term Goal:




It's been a while since I've posted my weights, so here goes.

I went on a mini binge, not tooooooo bad, just a couple of days of eating high carb and not eating good, natural foods.

I know what caused it.....taking advantage of the intermittent fasting!!! After a day of fasting I decided to have something that is not on plan.....then something else.....then the cravings kicked in!!! I ended up breaking the binge by doing a 24h fast, then getting back on plan.

Now, the reason I haven't posted isn't because of falling off the wagon, but because things have been crazy!!! Work has been very busy, I've visited my daughter, and had a friend with a personal crisis.

And.....as you can see, not only have I reached my 20 pounds in 20 weeks goal, I've surpassed it!

There's been sooooo much good news lately too!!

If you follow politics, heck if you aren't living under a rock, you'll know that the election is over and finally the system of checks and balances are back in place in our government!!! Yep, the Democrats have taken back control of the House of Representatives AND the Senate!!! Additionally, several states got rid of Republican governors and have elected Democratic ones.

And the BEST NEWS in politics? Donald Rumsfeld has not only been shown the door, but now I hear once he leaves office he could be sued for war crimes, for authorizing the torture at Abu Ghraib.

There's a lot of talk about inpeachment, reinvestigating the reason we went to war and whether our government decieved us, and hopefully more. The President is now open to reconsidering what we're doing in Iraq, so hopefully that will mean our wonderful, incredibly brave service men and women will be returning home soon.

I have a "adopted son" that is there now. I am incredibly proud of him, and I'm also terrified that he's going to get hurt or worse. He's only 24, and I've known him since he was about 5. His mom and I are best friends, and I know she's suffering and sick with worry! We don't know where he is, just that he's in Iraq. This is his second tour of duty. The bravery and integrity of these men and women just amazes me! There is no way I could do what they do!!!

Now for health issues in the news!!!

This is probably the best news:
Low-Carb Diet Can Be Heart-Healthy. This study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, after looking at the diets of 82,000 women over a 20 year period, found that low carb wasn't dangerous after all. Of course, the media put some spin on it, but check out Regina's blog for the REAL details of the study! She also posted a follow up with more information a couple of days later.

And here's probably the worst news:
Children with risk factors for heart disease, including high cholesterol and diabetes, are showing signs of narrowing and hardening of the arteries. Now this is bad enough, but not at all surprising, considering the "foods" that our children are being fed, but the conclusions are horrendous!!! They are recomending that if diet and lifestyle changes don't lower cholesterol levels, the children should be put on statins!!! Never mind that the levels are unreasonably low, and do we even know what is "optimal" for children, but to put children on drugs that change the way their livers work, drugs associated with all kinds of severe and sometimes even permanant side effects is just unbelievable!!! Once again, check out Regina's take on the issue. (Aside from the fact that these children could potentially be on these dangerous drugs for 40, 50, and more years, these drugs are also found to cause severe birth defects in animal studies!!)

Also in the news:
Experts are recomending increased use of statins, for anyone with just a 1% risk of heart disease! A ONE percent "risk"???? Again, these are powerful drugs, with no real evidence of being helpful in primary prevention!!!

More to come soon!!!

Long Term Goal: