Statin Drugs or Niacin - ask me no questions...

The New England Journal of Medicine published a recent study which showed that niacin (a low-cost B vitamin) out-performs Merck's drug Zetia for preventing the build-up of arterial plaque, a symptom of cardiovascular disease.

The study revealed patients taking niacin showed a "significant shrinkage" in artery wall thickness, while those on Zetia showed no such improvement. At the same time, the rate of "cardiovascular events" in the niacin group was only one-fifth that in the Zetia group, demonstrating that niacin is far more effective at preventing heart attacks and other similar events than Zetia.

But curiously, as soon as niacin started to show a real benefit over Zetia, researchers cancelled the study.

Merck, the maker of Zetia, reportedly brings in over $5 billion. It's no wonder: Zetia sells for as much as $3.89 per pill.

Niacin, on the other hand, costs as little as 6.7 cents per pill, even in a "no-flush" time-release formula.

[Taylor AJ, Villines TC, Stanek EJ, et al. Extended-release niacin or ezetimibe and carotid intima-media thickness. The New England Journal of Medicine. Published online 16 November 2009]

Other references: Merck Liver Damage? Examiner

HRT. . .the end of an era?

Not that many years ago HRT (hormone replacement therapy) was the answer to many woes. But quite by accident, a huge study turned up and unexpected finding. There seemed to be a strong correllation between HRT and breast cancer. But the finding may have flaws - Check for yourself: Drop in Breast Cancer

But just to be sure, check with your doctor for a Mammogram - after reading THIS.

Then see if your health in$urance company covers this: Thermography

7 ills that don't need pills

Here is an interesting older post by Dr. Mercola on common chronic conditions that may not need a pharmaceutical remedy. Well, come on folks, we all know that the more pills the better!
But here it is: NO PILLS?

Hep-B for newborns - insanity.

If anyone can explain to me why a newborn needs a hepatitis-b vaccine when the mother is a healty monogomous married woman I would certainly be interested.

But on the other hand, if you (Big Pharma) are able to mandate more vaccinations ($$$$$), earlier to birth, the damage done is less likely to be associated with the vaccine and more likely to be attributed to unknown causes associated with birth and infancy. Pretty neat, huh? Unless you are the parent of the damaged or killed infant! And we call ourselves civilized as we offer human sacrifice to the god of Big Pharma!

Another vaccine resource.

Fluoride - more

Rather than a long expose' in the blog, here is a fairly good rundown on the simple facts of why we DON'T need the neurotoxic drug, fluoride, in our water. Fluoride .

From The (Skeptic's) Health Journal Club: (Aug 2010) Why we don't need fluoride

Here is an interesting paper by a scientist who thought nothing of fluoridation, but who became involved in a study of the effects of fluoride in the water supply almost by accident. Going into the study they assumed they would find nothing and be able to go on to more interesting work. What they found and tried to tell the rest of the world about cost them their jobs.
Central Nervous System Damage from Fluorides

Also see previous post: Fluoride - XX

Interesting study using deer antlers to evaluate historical fluoride in the environment: Germany

Nazi use of fluoride: Mind Control (emphasis added)
Excerpt:At the end of World War II, the US government sent Charles Eliot Perkins, a research worker in chemistry, biochemistry, physiology and pathology, to take charge of the vast Farben chemical plants in Germany. The German chemists told Perkins of a scheme which they had devised during the war and had been adapted by the German General Staff. The German chemists explained of their attempt to control the population in any given area through the mass medication of drinking water with sodium fluoride, a tactic used in German and Russian prisoner of war camps to make the prisoners “stupid and docile”(Stephen 1995). Farben had developed plans during the war to fluoridate the occupied countries because it was found that fluoridation caused slight damage to a specific part of the brain, making it more difficult for the person affected to defend his freedom and causing the individual to become more docile towards authority. Fluoride remains one of the strongest anti-psychotic substances known, and is contained in twenty-five percent of the major tranquilizers. It may not seem surprising that Hitler’s regime practiced the concept of mind control through chemical means, but the American military continued Nazi research, exploring techniques to incapacitate an enemy or medicate an entire nation. As stated in the Rockerfeller Report, a Presidential briefing on CIA activities, “the drug program was part of a much larger CIA program to study possible means of controlling human behavior”(Stephen 1995). See Connections for more - LOTS more!