Wool Pulled Over Eyes

[Guest guest]

" HSI - Jenny Thompson " <hsiresearch

HSI e-Alert - Wool Pulled Over Eyes

Tue, 18 Jul 2006 06:50:00 -0400

 

 

July 18, 2006

 

 

Dear Reader,

 

It's a beautiful scam.

 

Maybe " scam " is a little too strong. So let's call it a " sales

strategy " that smells more than a little bit fishy.

 

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Operators are standing by

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I was watching a talk show recently when someone on the panel

mentioned in passing that a certain brand of cholesterol-lowering

statin drug may cause liver and muscle problems.

 

Bing! A light went on. This wasn't momentous, but it represented

something important. Five years ago you would not have been likely to

hear those words spoken on network television. But maybe, just maybe,

the tide is actually turning and the general public is starting to

wise up that there are potential dangers in lowering cholesterol with

drugs.

 

In the meantime, the all-out marketing blitz for statins roars along.

And a brand new sales pitch is now available. That's right, folks! You

get a drug that lowers cholesterol, and for the same price, we'll also

throw in protection against cataracts!

 

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Stamped with the Seal of Approval

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The 6/21/06 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association

(JAMA) included a new statin study from the University of Wisconsin

School of Medicine and Public Health.

 

STUDY ABSTRACT

 

* Nearly 1,300 subjects at risk of developing nuclear cataracts

were followed for five years

* Among subjects who used statin drugs, incidence of cataracts was

12.2 percent

* Among subjects who didn't use statins, incidence of cataracts

was 17.2 percent

* In their conclusion, the authors write that statin use " appears

to be associated with lower risk of nuclear cataract "

 

Obviously, we'll need to see much more research - especially double

blind, placebo-controlled studies - before anyone can honestly claim

that statin use is linked to cataract protection. And here are two

excellent reasons why (as noted in an Associated Press article about

the study):

 

1. Other researchers point out that a variety of factors could

explain the results of the study

2. Some cholesterol-lowering drugs never made it to market because

of concerns that they actually contributed to cataract development

 

But these caveats are academic. Why? Because drug salespeople can now

simply tell doctors that a JAMA study found cataract protection in

statin use. (You can be certain they won't be dwelling on any of the

caveats.) And doctors, in turn, will pass that information on to their

patients.

 

More than half of all Americans age 65 or older have some evidence of

cataract development, according to the National Eye Institute. And

people over the age of 65 make up the prime market of statin users.

For drug companies, it's a match (and a sales pitch) made in heaven.

And the fact that the evidence is razor thin presents no problem at

all because the study was published in the Journal of the American

Medical Association, which automatically equals a rock solid Seal of

Approval for many doctors and patients.

 

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Consider the source

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The JAMA study notes that statin drugs are reputed to have antioxidant

properties that may account for their protective effect against cataracts.

Oh PLEASE! As if anyone who's informed about antioxidants would choose

" protection " from statins over true antioxidant sources that have

virtually zero risk of side effects - a claim no statin drug

manufacturer can make.

 

Corn, kiwi, red seedless grapes, orange-colored peppers, spinach,

celery, Brussels sprouts, scallions, broccoli, and squash all contain

a powerful antioxidant called xanthophylls which has been shown to

help protect against cataract development.

 

You can find out more about this antioxidant's role in vision health -

and how vitamins C and E also contribute to protection against

cataracts - in the e-Alert " Chasing the Clouds Away " (12/20/04) at

this link:

 

http://www1.youreletters.com/t/385953/2413923/791193/0/

 

************

 

....and another thing

 

The Man of Steel returned to theaters recently, but HSI members are

more curious about Men and Iron.

 

Matthew writes: " Hello just read your bit on Iron and iron deficiency.

It seems to be directed toward women. I have heard and read men should

not take increased iron after the age of 45-50. Does this still seem

to be the opinion in tradition and alternative health? "

 

And from Karen: " I have a question about too much iron. We have

high-iron well water (it turns our white clothes a lovely shade of

orange). Is the iron in the water dangerous for men? Should I get a

filter -- it comes up as very high on water tests, and I am concerned

that it's too much for my husband (I've read that men should not

supplement iron after a certain age). "

 

When I ran these questions by HSI Panelist Allan Spreen, M.D., he

noted that there's no single answer that fits everyone. The solution:

get tested.

 

Dr. Spreen: " From time to time men should have (as should women) a

serum ferritin test from their docs. It's the most sensitive test for

iron (though a bit more expensive and therefore not always ordered).

If that level is normal then no additional iron should be needed.

 

" We certainly need iron, but inorganic iron (like ferrous sulfate and

others) is a less-than-desirable source of the nutrient. Well water

would be inorganic. If serum ferritin tests are high (or even at the

highest end of normal, as the test has a wide range), a good water

filter might be helpful.

 

" The best source of iron is organic, meaning it comes from an animal.

Aside from the vitamin B-12 issue, this is another area of trouble for

vegan diets (total non-animal vegetarian), no matter what the vegan

experts say, in my opinion. If organ meats, specifically liver, are

poorly tolerated (as they are for me), then I use desiccated liver

tablets. They are inexpensive and available from Argentine beef, which

tends to have fewer problems than beef from the U.S. Since the liver

is a toxin-filtering organ, liver from a source as far as possible

from the herbicides, pesticides and hormones of 'advanced' farming

techniques is desirable. "

 

To Your Good Health,

 

Jenny Thompson

 

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Sources:

" Statin Use and Incident Nuclear Cataract " Journal of the American

Medical Association, Vol. 295, No. 23, 6/21/06, jama.ama-assn.org

" Statins May Reduce Risk of Cataracts " Lindsey Tanner, The Associated

Press, 6/20/06, ap.org