ppp 04-07-08

Quote of the day: I believe that every human has a finite number of heart-beats.

I don't intend to waste any of mine running around doing exercises.

Buzz Aldrin (1930 - )

Some things just hurt; sprained ankles, broken bones, strep throat, or appendicitis. Sometimes we can anticipate the pain: elective surgery, On the other hand there are some things that hurt in such a way that we just don’t mind so much. Having a “root canal” is something quite bearable because the abscessed tooth will no longer be a problem. Women anticipate their bundle of joy and tolerate the labor needed to attain motherhood.

Muscles that have not been used for awhile will complain to the “weekend warrior” if pushed to hard to quickly. Chopping wood, playing baseball, hiking with scouts, gardening, and many other activities can be cause to break out the BENGAY and/or Ibuprofen. In most cases these aches and pains fall into the category of “good hurt”. Muscles protest sudden activity but reward the owner with increased strength and stamina. The extra burned calories are a nice, painless side effect. The phrase “move it or lose it” really applies to our health… move, maintain strength and stay flexible or gradually see your strength dwindle and flexibility wane. While you are at it you may wish to flex you mind with similar anticipated results. Think of the ppp as your mental calisthenics for the week with this being the slow warm up. It's a good hurt.

ps. Best answer this week to the question "How are you?" was "Livin' the dreaml"

An editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine discusses the need for strong oversight of off-label drug promotion. Just as a ruthless dictator was necessary to reign in the clans of Iraq, promotion of approved drugs for non-approved uses will require a strong and equally ruthless enforcement entity or the results will be utter chaos.

Vytorin remains on the United Health Care formulary with “normal” brand name co-payment. The reason that this is remarkable is that others have dropped it due to recent studies that have bruised and battered some cholesterol lowering drugs.

Researches have now measured the amount that patients pay for drugs if they receive promotional samples from physicians. Those who spent $166 in the 6 months prior to samples saw spending jump to $244 for 6 months after the samples. Confounding the results could be a general turn for the worse in health status (prompting the sample seeking visit) but it appears that samples are having the effect that the drug companies hope for… increased sales.

State of New York is “recycling” prescription drugs from dead people. Pharmacists vet the drugs to see that the drugs match the labeling. Other states, but not all, do this as pharmacy laws are different in each state. I would want to make sure that the drugs weren’t the cause of the donor’s death.

Watson has recalled fentanyl patches due to ingredient content variation. Just one lot but this is on the heels of other fentanyl patch recalls due to leaking patches.

Rotarix, an oral vaccine to prevent a leading cause of severe diarrhea in infants, won FDA approval. The Rotovirus causes severe diarrhea and causes many deaths each year, mostly in developing countries, from U.S. health officials on Thursday.

Post menopausal women who walked the slowest had a higher rate of strokes than their quicker sisters. No guarantee that picking up the pace will change your risks… but it couldn’t hurt.

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