Do go read it all, from Dr. Melissa Walton-Shirley -- over at MedScape -- but here is the most sobering bit:
. . . .What we don't know is that once your LDL is below 70, is it cost-effective to lower it to the 50s? Again, it appears your death rate is the same at LDL levels of 50, 55, 60, 65, 69, etc. High-dose simvastatin (and in some cases low-dose simvastatin) can produce similar results, or, heaven forbid, even using another statin. . . .
I can nearly guarantee you that instead of a one in 50 chance that this compound will help you, there is a nearly 100% chance that the Mediterranean diet and a 30-minute walk daily will drop your death rate by 50%. Plus, I'll help your osteoporosis risk, lower your blood pressure, and decrease your risk of developing diabetes. Your quality-of-life indicators will improve. Shortness of air will improve. Heck, it can even cure diabetes in some.
So will our patients rather take an extra pill or buy a treadmill and use it?. . . .
Yes -- too many Americans prefer pills -- to exercise and diets. The price makes the horse, in so many ways.
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