Angioplasty: Angioplasty is the procedure used by cardiologists to unblock a clogged artery. It is almost always an emergency procedure and not getting to an ER or OR in a timely fashion can be fatal. According to a Reuters article by G. Emery, 60% of us do not live near a facility that can do the life saving procedure. In an angioplasty, a surgeon opens blocked arteries with a balloon and again from the article, I learned this is also called percutaneous coronary intervention or PCI. I recall that this saved my dad’s life at least the first time he had a heart attack. The story was not about the effectiveness of PCI but the lack of effect of 2 drugs meant to save lives between MI onset and surgery. They do not seem to work and that is bad news especially because 60% of us are not near angioplasty ready centers and heart disease is the number one killer of American’s.
ACS Challenge: Cancer is another of America’s big killers and perhaps on more minds this week due to Senator T. Kennedy’s diagnosis of a brain tumor. Though not all cancers, heart disease or diabetes can be prevented, many experts believe a healthy lifestyle to be a protective factor against all three. Even if you have a genetic or environmental (radiation, SHS, etc) risk or especially if you do, a healthy baseline will improve your treatment outcomes and quality of life. So take heed. The American Cancer Society is urging everyone to take on its challenge to get active and stay active. Sign up at, www.getactivechallenge.org.
Merck and Pfizer: bad week for both companies and an apparent continuing downslide for Merck, even if it is winning some of the Vioxx lawsuits. Merck makes cholesterol lowering drug Vytorin for persons who have high cholesterol at least partly due to genetics. This week it halted a study on a similar drug. Both were being developed for the purpose of lessening plaque buildup and neither has worked better that the older cholesterol lowering drugs. I always hated the marketing of Vytorin as it seemed to encourage reliance on a pill over diet and exercise. As for Pfizer, Chantix has taken two hits this week, first from the FAA regarding pilots and air traffic controllers and now with some truck drivers as well. The drug is not on the safe list for these occupations as it may affect their ability to function on the job.
No Chantix- Try Your Friends: As you may recall I am a tobacco educator and quit smoking counselor so I have to pay attention to all tobacco research. So re: the above blurb, let me say, I DON’T KNOW?! I have clients on it and the Public Health Services recommends it, but I worry pretty constantly. My more off the record belief is this. If you are ready to quit, you will quit. This week’ s research that finds increased quit success when ones’ friends stop smoking makes both intuitive and theoretical sense. It is what we in the biz call, social norming. The researchers are the same that told us that we get fat when our friends get fat.
Cause of Death: We are far from the days of communicable disease devastation in this country. In fact, many industrialized countries have seen this epidemiological switch from contagious disease death to lifestyle related disease death. The World Health Organization reports this week that not only has that trend continued, it has incorporated many more countries to the extent that chronic disease is now the chief cause of death globally. Diabetes, obesity and asthma are rising across the board. It is also noted that the “single largest cause of preventable death – worldwide – is tobacco use.” The deaths related to tobacco use include ischemic heart disease, stroke and COPD.
Wishing you wellness
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