Insidermedicine in 60 - April 14, 2008

From Boston - Women who take postmenopausal hormones have a lower risk of developing the wet type of macular degeneration, one of the leading causes of blindness. In an analysis of nearly 75,000 patients, researchers found a nearly 50% reduction in the risk of wet macular degeneration. However, the study also showed that hormones raised the risk of the dry, less aggressive type.

From La Jolla - Taking statins may not only be beneficial for your cholesterol, but may also lower blood pressure. In a clinical trial of patients randomized to Zocor, Pravachol or placebo, those taking the statins had a reduction of 2-3 mmHg in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. These reductions may be part of the "rapid" beneficial cardiovascular effects that statins have on the cardiovascular system.

And finally, back to Boston - Higher blood levels of urate, a salt derived from uric acid that is associated with gout, may slow the progression of Parkinson's disease. In a study of over 800 people with early signs of Parkinson's, those with the highest urate levels were half as likely to go on to receive dopamine-boosting treatment. Urate is a powerful antioxidant that may protect susceptible brain cells from degenerating.

For Insidermedicine in 60, I'm Dr. Susan Sharma.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• hormone
• menopause
• macular
• degeneration
• wet
• dry
• blindness
• statin
• blood
• pressure
• cholesterol
• zocor
• pravachol
• urate
• acid

[litebug12345]

I was one of the ones who had bad side effects while on Zocor. After that, I was not about to go pill popping from one drug to the next. I found the site of Sterolyn , while searching for an alternative to an Rx drug. Spent a lot of time and read about the various options and alternatives. I use Sterolyn, and its absolutely the best around. I believe plant sterols would be a "drug" if they could be sold as such. It is an effective and natural product. I have zero side effects and it works.

[glynwainwright]

You might be interested in my you-tube video about the side effects of statins. It was created with the the help of Duane Graveline MD (aka Spacedoc). Its called "Statins --The Dark Side". Thanks for helping with awareness of this issue. Glyn