ppp 04-21-08

Quote of the day:

Men fear thought as they fear nothing else on earth -- more than ruin -- more even than death.... Thought is subversive and revolutionary, destructive and terrible, thought is merciless to privilege, established institutions, and comfortable habit. Thought looks into the pit of hell and is not afraid. Thought is great and swift and free, the light of the world, and the chief glory of man.

Bertrand Russell British author, mathematician, & philosopher (1872 - 1970)

Just after the Minnesota caucuses I was confronted by a physician who supports a presidential candidate who is not my choice. At one point during the discussion the good doctor said “And I suppose you don’t believe in evolution!” My answer was “It depends on your definition of ‘evolution’.” The conversation abruptly ended and we haven’t discussed politics since.

I saw a thought provoking movie this weekend. Expelled, No Intellegence Allowed, that dared to ask some serious questions about Darwinian thinking. Ben Stein, (of Win Ben Stein’s Money fame), interviewed a number of academics who lost their positions for even opening up the subject of Dawin vs Intellegent design. In a country where we are free to discuss “anything”, he found a subject that is strictly “Verboten!” We can openly discuss race, sex, politics but questioning the work of “St. Darwin“ (The Origin of Species-published before the Civil War in America, and before the work of Crick and Watson on DNA published in 1953) can not be tolerated. Between the scientific community, press, and the courts, those who wish to discuss Intelligent Design have been systematically quashed. By the end of this Prattle you may decide to terminate all contact in order to save yourself.

Ben also interviewed proponents (disciples) of Darwin and the institutions responsible for removing the professors. Many had turned to Atheism as a direct result of their embracing Darwin. Most of the proponents wanted to start discussion of “Evolution” at some point along the continuum of life, but well after the origin of the first living organism. One suggested that the first organisms were formed “on the back of crystals” but could not name a crystal or show any evidence of life originating in such a manner. One “expert” suggested that Earth was seeded with life by intelligent life forms from another planet “who first evolved in a Darwinian manner”) on their own. (While this explanation may work… I would have pushed him to explain the beginning of life on the seeding planet… the whole chain had to start SOMEWHERE). The influence of Darwin’s writing on Nazi Germany and Planned Parenthood were explored. Elimination of undesirable genetic traits were behind Eugenics and early efforts to discourage the poor and uneducated from having progeny.

While I would love to discuss this subject with each of you, I’ll leave it for another day. My opinion? Simply asking questions should not so threaten the “certain majority” of the scientific community and drive them into persecution mode. A brisk discussion of the subject would be healthy for mankind but would cause those so ensconced in their Darwinian positions to have to consider where all matter and life ultimately originated… before they discuss how a platypus evolved from a pre-platypus. Go see the movie (if you want to be intellectually stimulated.... you may not agree but it is a good romp!). [http://www.expelledthemovie.com/ to view a trailer]

pps. Occasionally, some of the links require FREE registration.... I'm sure you can handle THAT slight inconvenience.

1) My buddies at Express Scripts have found a new way to push generics… behavioral economics.

ESI has been able to move patients to generic Zocor through the use of behavioral economics. A very interesting process of price changes, surveys and patient education is revealed in this article.

2) You could starve to death before you are done reading the label on your twinkie.

Food labels recently underwent a major expansion. DemocRats are proposing that each drug, food, and medical device now list the country of origin of its major components or active ingredients. All of this in the wake of the Chinese heparin mess. If many foreign sources are listed for prescription drugs then it will be easier for the Dems to push for “reimporation” of foreign drugs to the detriment of the major US manufacturers. Oh well, you may not get what you deserve but you do get what you vote for… http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2008Apr17/0,4670,FoodDrugSafety,00.html

Lilly to eliminate some 500 jobs in the Indianapolis area due to the failure of inhaled insulin.

Study links the use of anticholinergic drugs (to combat urinary incontinence) to problems with memory. Many of the anti-alzheimer drugs are cholinergic drugs so it was logical to assume that anything that worked against these receptors would cause metal changes that mimicked or hastened Alzheimer’s symptoms. The present study followed 870 subjects. ( see the ppp from 11/29/04, item #2 for my original prediction http://www.pharmworks.com/ppp_11_29_2004.htm )

New guidelines would have 120/80 be in the pre-hypertension range. Diet changes, more exercise and, ultimately, drugs may be the answer to the question “How can I prevent a stroke or heart attack?”

Answers to a series of 3 short questions, called the Rose angina questionnaire, predicted death from congestive heart failure. Answer wisely and live!

Testosterone increases risk taking behaviors and cortisol does the opposite. If your stock broker is taking performance enhancing steroids (shades of baseball) then “he” is more likely to take more risks with your money. In many past cases this lead to higher returns. In this market the drug of choice may be cortisol. No mention of estrogens’ effects.

Disclaimer: "Pepin's Pharmaceutical Prattle" (AKA "The Prattle") is the property of PHARMWORKS, LLC and Steven M. Pepin, Pharm. D. The opinions expressed are those of the bald-headed author. To start or stop any drug without the advice and supervision of your physician would be stupid. So don't do anything based upon what you read here without professional advice. To be added to or removed from the distribution list please e-mail your request to spepin@pharmworks.com . All insightful comments from readers are thoughtfully considered (the rest are callously discarded). Copyright 1998-2008 PHARMWORKS, LLC all rights reserved.

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