Odds and ends

Time for protean night - here are a few points to ponder, in brief:

One Nation Overweight: That is the title of the CNBC special that aired last week and encores tonight at ten. I have not had a chance to view it, but it is on my list. Tonight of course is also the series finale of LOST - of which I am a fan. Here is a link about the CNBC special in case you are interested. You should be interested.

Avandia Troubles: Avandia, also known as rosiglitazone, is a drug used for the management of diabetes. It is a drug that, when working properly, would make a diabetics system respond more effectively to existing or endogenous insulin. The drug has come under fire in the last year or two because there are cardiovascular risk factors that some - including the advocacy group Public Citizen - find far too severe and frequent for comfort. I agree that the drug should not be used and agree with the assertion that there are safer medicines that are effective. The EU has not banned its use, nor has the USA - however, the FDA has requested additional trials on the drug - which others have also spoke out against. Interestingly, there is a lack of volunteers and at least one site has had to stop their study. It caught my attention as it was my career affiliated WFU School of Medicine.

Beef Costs: HMM - Fast food restaurants are said to be pushing chicken these days. Not so much for your health unfortunately but because beef prices are rising and chicken prices are not. Reading in the WSJ this week, companies expressed reluctance at raising the price of burgers so instead they were promoting chicken and other menu items in the hopes that customers would not order as many burgers. What caught my attention was a discrepancy between lean and not lean beef. I imagine that 90% lean beef or hamburger was more expensive than 50% lean to begin with - still the extra extra lean is now up less of a percentage than the 50% which, again according to the WSJ, is at its highest since 1995.

Nicorette Mini Lozenge: Goodness talk about confusion. The first is that the commercial seen on TV for this product is ridiculous. I make this claim based on the fact that the few people I have surveyed who have seen it, did NOT know what the message or the product was. One of my "smokers" explained it to me - but other "smokers" whom I explained it to said that they did not get it until just that minute when I explained it. So you can see the commercial on line - fairly I saw it only once on TV and missed the start. [If you do NOT immediately know what is being sold - somebody wasted a lot of money. Seriously - are you ever NOT sure what Cialis and Viagra commercials are about?] Anyway, I went to the Nicorette Mini Lozenge website where I became more confused. The website claims that it is the first lozenge from Nicorette - technically true - the standard nicotine lozenge is Commit. GlaxoSmithKline, however, produces BOTH. So why is it a mini lozenge? I thought it would be a smaller dose, but the website only notes the 2 and 4 mg versions - same as Commit. I guess they just encase the nicotine in a smaller lozenge. Weird. I recall that on the commercial the quitter tossed back the lozenges like they were a bunch of Chicklets. That would not be good. I should watch this commercial again. BTW, I emailed a GSK representative on Friday - so we will see what he has to say. [ah yes, I did review the ad - and I didn't miss the beginning after all - but now I do notice that the guy only flips one lozenge into his mouth - good to know] ALSO - I am not saying that nicotine replacement therapy doesn't work - it does help many people to quit.

Fewer isn't Less: Sorry - I know I have said it before but it was on my little notepad so I am compelled. I must have heard the commercial again this week- for Alleve. Just because you take a medicine less times a day ( or in fewer pills) does NOT mean you are taking in less medicine. And it is always WISE to take the smallest possible dose that is effective for your issue. I just want you to think about that when your hear that two pills of one drug is less than four of another. The drug mentioned here lasts 12 hours, not four - that is true - but the two pills are possibly a higher dose of medicine..