I was shocked to read the NYTimes email news alert on my PDA about TIm Russerts death yesterday. Personally I have become quite intolerant of the standard opinionated non-news ‘news programs’ and found his reporting a pleasant and informative departure from the usual fare. His loss is a great one for the News Profession and for those who wish to be informed.
But as a health provider, I also thought about his death in terms of the number one killer in the US: heart disease.
Heart disease is often manageable via change in lifestyle (diet, exercise, weightloss and stress reduction) but if that doesn’t work, medication. Unfortunately not enough people try the first option. If you are someone who has a family history of heart disease or have not had an exam with your general doctor in more than a year, dont put it off.
Just do it.
Please check the American Heart Association (click on either the “for patients” or “healthy lifestyle” tabs) for guidelines on what you can start doing today.
It will be well worth your while.
Regarding the death Of Tim Russert:
In the new issue of Newsweek, Dr. Steven Nissen, chair of cardiovascular medicine at the Cleveland Clinic
told the magazine when asked about the role of STRESS and heart attacks:
“Most of us do not think it is terribly relevant,” and explained this with a shocking lack of logical
thinking: Newsweek writes, “After all, he notes, “many people in this world have stressful jobs,” and they
don’t all die of of heart attacks.
Time Magazine named Dr. Nissen one of the 100 Most Influential People In The World in their “Scientists and
Thinkers” section.
Think about that.
Now, consider the completely illogical statement from Dr. Nissen bolded above. One thing should be made
perfectly clear in light of this statement: He believes cholesterol as very relevant to heart attack
risk. Yet, to turn his Newsweek comments around, “many people in this world have **high cholesterol**” and
they don’t all die of heart attacks.
In fact, study after study shows countries with the highest rates of fat intake and the highest average cholesterol
rates have the lowest incidence of heart disease. Imagine that!
Dr. Nissen’s irresponsible and illogical comments in Newsweek shows – again – the complete bamboozlement the
cholesterol hypothesis has on western medicine just because, “everyone knows,” high cholesterol causes Coronary
Heart Disease. How do they know this? “Because everyone knows.” Ad nauseum. With a little research, the facts show
this is simply not true.
What Dr. Nissen said about stress can be said about high cholesterol. Plenty of people live with both without
having heart attacks.
Maybe Mr. Russert’s death can help in bringing us back to real science as opposed to what Big Pharma dictates
as what is science – and what is not. Follow the money.
How ironic that it was Dr. Nissen who made such a horrible misstep in logic with his comments to millions of readers
in Newsweek.
By: Mike Donovan on June 14, 2008
at 11:59 pm