Sunday 27 January 2013

Medical Marketing

I read a very interesting story in today's edition of The National highlighting the swing by the medical fraternity from fat as being the major culprit for heart disease to carbohydrates, especially sugar. So how come has the fat theory been king for so long.

Well, according to the article, fat was the victim of 'Medical Marketing'. What does this mean. Well they cite the example of Ancel Keys a researcher at the University of Minnesota in the 1950s. Prof. Keys punted the idea that saturated fats and cholesterol were responsible for heart disease. So strong were his beliefs that he used very powerful means to promote his ideas. A quote from the article;


For several decades Prof Keys used a potent mix of hand-picked data, denigration of critics and sheer force of personality to persuade official bodies in the US to promote carbs over fat in dietary advice

So strong was the spell woven by Prof Keys and his followers that repeated failure of large clinical studies to back their claims made little difference.

Read more: http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/technology/heart-disease-is-sugar-the-real-killer#ixzz2JBOVxTBA
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Although it has been difficult for the Sugar lobby to make its point they are now being listened to and the medical fraternity is beginning to sway towards sugar and away from fat. Now I don't want to get onto the conspiracy theory bandwagon. I am sure that Prof. Keys was motivated by a sense of duty to promote a theory he believed in.

What I do want to discuss is whether this concept of Medical Marketing is occurring today. The internet is a source of much punting of alternative health options. Many of these theorists have little scientific backing, but use strong marketing tactics.

The Alternative Medicine industry love their conspiracy theories and crush any argument against their claims with unproven accusations of conspiracy between government, the pharmaceutical industry and the medical profession. The problem is that they can cite many successes for their treatments.

What worries me is that many dread diseases can spontaneously enter periods of remission. I worry that people who are ill will forgo life saving medical treatment for the promise of a 'natural' cure. I am not an expert in this sort of thing. I would like some of these alternates to be true. It would be wonderful to think that we could cure illnesses without having to dip into our medical aid, or need medical aid at all.

What I do believe in is using natural health products to support and improve the efficacy of prescribed medications. I am not yet ready to chuck out my prescribed medications or my natural supplements just yet. What do you think?

Just as an aside. I am so confused by reading that sugar is bad, sugar is good; reading that fat is bad, fat is good; reading that cranberries are bad, cranberries are good that I don't know what to give up so I have decided to give up reading.

Wednesday 23 January 2013

Prince Harry - Not as stupid as he looks

Poor Prince Harry. It must be tough to be born under the spotlight, to have every event in one's life become a front page story. I am sure he understands and accepts his royal role, but oh how he must yearn to live as a commoner even for just a day, and fly under the radar.

The latest headline is Prince Harry Says He's Killed Taliban. Oh my goodness. The outrage. How dare he stir the Taliban so? Now we must brace ourselves for the Taliban revenge. How can he put us in harms way so?

Well I have just watched his latest interview on Sky and in my opinion he said one of the cleverest things I have heard from him. In among the many inane questions, which he answered very graciously, came one, almost throwaway line, which, in my humble opinion, just blew every sanctimonious headline about the Taliban incident out the water.

He said that on the last day he was there a seven year old Afghanistan girl was mown down by the Taliban. He was describing that it is not a normal situation out there. In one sentence he described just what sort of people he had been killing and why. And what kind of people are they? Certainly not the type of people that deserve our political correctness. Certainly not the type of people that deserve our respect.

I am appalled that a young man, putting his life on the line for Queen and Country, side by side with his subjects, can be treated so badly by the media. I am appalled that his actions can be put down in favour of appeasing a terrorist organisation.

Thank you Harry. I might not be a Brit, but I appreciate your efforts on my behalf. Yes my behalf. I believe that organisations like the Taliban threaten the entire free world.

Monday 14 January 2013

Damn those doctors

If it weren't so tragic it would be funny to read how cold and mercenary the medical profession is. I recently read an article on how bad the flu vaccinations are for us. Apart from the fact that the article was, in my not so humble opinion, a load of nonsense  it was incredible to read some of the comments that accompanied it.

One commenter gleefully pointed out that Merk had caused the polio outbreaks by the use of DDT thus creating a need for their vaccine. I wonder what he made of the response of one commenter who pointed out that polio was caused by a virus and not as a result of DDT poisoning. The inference which was made, and not so subtly by a number of commentators, was that one only needed to follow the "money trail" to ascertain why doctors and governments were pushing for the general population to have their flu shots.

Doctors caused some of the commentators some concern for the fact that they took money from the pharmaceutical companies to promote their poisons with lies. It seems weird to me that doctors, who seem to be totally stressed out by the amount of business they have anyway, would go to such extraordinary, and possibly illegal, lengths to get more business.

I am sure that there are unscrupulous doctors, they are human beings after all, but I seriously doubt that there is some sort of conspiracy among the entire medical profession to slowly kill us all by vaccination.  It is interesting to note that in the USA influenza annually causes about 36,000 deaths and 114,000 hospitalisations. It seems that one of the commentators prediction of population control by stupidity might just come true.

As an aside I agree that most medicines have their drawbacks. They are, after all, chemicals designed to be a one size fits all. Reading the package inserts can be just as dangerous to one's health as the disease we might be suffering from. Apart from vitamins and other supplements I take 11 pills a day. Some of these are a second choice of an original one which I did not tolerate all that well. In essence the 'poisons' in these drugs will probably kill me.

But there is one thing I know for sure. Without these drugs I would have died many years ago. I am extremely grateful to my mercenary doctors and the money grubbing pharmaceutical industry that I am alive and well enough to write this drivel. Oh, and by the way, apparently one of the effects of the flu vaccination which I have taken every year for at least the last 10 years is that it brings on Alzheimer's. Well I am 64 years old. The chances of me galloping into dementia are very strong and I guess someone will use me as an example to tell everyone and anyone of how dangerous flu vaccinations are.
 

Sunday 13 January 2013

All is not what it seems

Having lived in the Middle East for some time now I have come to know that this part of the world is extremely complicated in so many ways. It is impossible to classify those that live here just as Arab and/or Muslim. Arab politics and the Muslim religion are as diverse as politics and religion anywhere else in the world. To explain this to a world that sees all in the Middle East only as Islamic Jihadists is sometimes quite difficult.

Perhaps a small example of the complexities of this area is the reaction of two influential regional players to a similar situation. In the first instance The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) reported on the recent Fatwa issued by controversial Saudi Sheikh Suleiman Al-'Alwan in response to a question by a Saudi youth. His response is as reported by MEMRI.

"Al-'Alwan said that soccer was a form of heresy: "Soccer is a Masonic game meant to distance Muslims from their religion and faith, and most of the public that follows [soccer games] is loyal to the infidels." Al-'Alwan called soccer players criminals and infidels: "[When] a man watches a [soccer] game, God forbid, he is watching deviant criminals and sinful infidels, even if they are Muslims." He added: "There is a serious problem with [soccer] games, which is the refereeing, which follows manmade laws, not Allah's laws."

Even in conservative Saudi Arabia this Fatwa was not without its critics and has had little influence on the population's love of the game or its participation in competitions such as the current Gulf Cup. The UAE beat Saudi Arabia on the way to the Gulf Cup semi final against Kuwait just a few days ago.

The response of Sheikh Khalifa, the President of the UAE, to his team making the semi finals is to decree that the national airline provide 1,400 free seats to fans wanting to attend the semi-final in Kuwait on Tuesday. The one day trip includes transport to and from the stadium and all meals. In addition the UAE embassy in Kuwait will be open 24 hours on match day to provide assistance to any UAE nationals that might need it.

The actions of both Sheikhs to a similar situation are extremely different and illustrate the complexities of reacting to individual actions in this part of the world as applying to all societies or even to all aspects of individual societies. Unfortunately we often have a knee jerk reaction to some of the actions of the jerks of this region.

Thursday 10 January 2013

Only in the Middle East

Two stories in yesterday's Gulf News seemed very typical of this part of the world. The first one was about a 90 year old man in Saudi Arabia who married a 15 year old girl. Unfortunately for him it did not go too smoothly.

He got the girls parents to agree to the marriage by providing a dowry of 45,000 Riyals and paying for the nuptial celebrations. After the ceremony he returned to the marital home with his bride, but his hopes for a cozy consummation of the marriage were dashed when the bride locked herself, sobbing, in the connubial bedroom.

The groom contacted her parents to talk some sense into her, but on their arrival at the scene, seeing how distressed their daughter was, took her straight home. The groom, understandably was a bit miffed. First prize for him was to get his bride back, but if this was not possible then he wanted the return of his dowry.

Oops sorry said the girls parents we have spent the dowry and not a cent is left. This prompted the groom, who, with the wisdom of his 90 years (yes the wheels of wisdom turn a little slower when you're 90), decided to sue the parents for the return of the dowry. The court declared the marriage null and void and ordered the parents to return the dowry.

The report did not detail whether the parents had coughed up or not. Obviously the parents had no intention of palming their daughter off to the old man, but saw an easy payday by playing with his lust. I feel a little sorry for the old man. In most countries he would be classed a paedophile, but not so in Saudi Arabia, but he was asking to be taken for a ride.

The second story was about the increase in pedestrian deaths on UAE roads. The problem is that pedestrians are too lazy to find a safe crossing on busy roads and risk their lives by trying to get across 4 lane highways. Drivers here are very arrogant and drive extremely fast so dodging stray pedestrians is quite difficult for them.

It was suggested that the system of Diya or blood money be done away with in the case of pedestrian accidents in order to try and deter them from gambling with their lives. Blood money can be as high as AED200,000 which for the families of the poorer in this society is a fortune. Workers have been known to commit suicide by running in front of cars so that their families can benefit from this windfall.

Diya can also get a murderer off death row. Families of the victim can forgive the murderer providing he can demonstrate his contrition by an offer of sufficient money to assuage their desire for revenge. It is interesting to note that a few years ago the owner of a thoroughbred Arabian Horse which was killed in a car accident was granted AED400,000 blood money, roughly double the amount normally paid in compensation for a human.

Saturday 5 January 2013

Ric's Les Mis Trivia

You might have guessed from my previous post that I am a Les Miserables groupie. I have been since my first visit to the UK in 1997. It was a business trip and was a few weeks after the death of Princess Diana. Buckingham Palace was still awash with wreaths and gifts left by a grieving nation. I even signed the condolence book set up on the pavement outside Harrods by Dodi Fayed's father.

As an aside I remember that a visit to Harrods public toilets cost me a pound. In those days it was only R8 to the pound, but that R8 could buy you a helluva lot more that it does today. I remember that there were name brand colognes on offer and I tried my best to use a pounds worth.

On our last night in London I and a couple of my colleagues decided to hit the West End and I had persuaded them that we should try and see Les Mis. It already had a reputation and I was very keen to see it. We went to the theatre at about 5 in the evening and without any expectations of success asked for three tickets. We were amazed that we were immediately offered tickets in the upper circle. We were warned that our view might be limited.

We did not mind the fact that viewing might be limited and were just excited to have tickets to the hottest show in town. Those limited tickets cost us 8 pounds each. We couldn't believe that we had paid so much and to perhaps even miss some of the action. We had a couple of hours to kill before the show and decided to kill some time in a nearby pub.

When we arrived back at the theatre there was quite a crowd and a small queue into the theatre. While standing in line we were happy to see a busy pub just inside the doors where we could continue our pre theatre refreshments. The doorman took our tickets and pointed us to the stairs telling us to go up to the fourth floor. "Oh no we want to go to the pub." I said. "Don't worry sir," he said, "there is a pub on every floor."

He was true to his word. At the fourth floor pub we asked for cold beers. As it was summer they had a plastic bowl filled with ice with a few lagers stuck in it so our request was fulfilled. Once in the theatre we were pleased to note that the view was not as restricted as feared. We were certainly not as badly off as those behind us who had obviously bought tickets later than us and had pillars obstructing their view.

To assist our view there were binoculars attached to the chairs in front of us and which could be released for use for a paltry 20p. We all loved the show. I remember being enthralled with the beautiful music and clever staging of the story. It was my first experience of the West End and I have tried to take in at least one show on every visit since and have had the privilege to see many memorable shows.

'Til next post...

Friday 4 January 2013

How to watch Les Mis

I am sure some of you are looking forward to seeing the film version of the musical Les Miserables. Some of you might be undecided and some of you have no intention of seeing it at all. I have just seen it and offer this primer on how to watch it so that any of you, in any of the above categories, who make the effort to see it can get the best out of the experience.

For those of you who might have seen it on the stage do not go to see a film version of the stage musical. This is not a musical in the traditional sense. For those with a prejudice against musicals this is not  a fluffy story in which the characters burst into song from time to time. This is a highly dramatic story told with music.

It is very different to its stage presentation. It is more intimate, more close up and personal. The big screen is used, not to widen the experience, but to bring us closer into the action to better feel the drama. The signature "I dreamed a dream" focuses in so closely onto Fantine's face that you feel the anguish of every word and are part of every tear.

So watch it for the drama. This is a translation of a 19th Century drama told with over the top 19th Century dramatics. It is a long and harrowing journey to be enjoyed for the story as much as for the music.

Watch it to see actors sing rather than singers act. Having actors sing the score live has had its critics, but I found the concept on the mark. On the whole their singing voices are excellent, but the criticism has been that they do not have the power of trained singers, but this is perfectly in line with the intimacy that the screen brings to the story. On screen there is no need to project. These versions of the well known songs have a subtle nuance that, while faithful to the score, bring a whole new feel to the production.

Watch it for the spectacle. I realise that this seems to be contrary to my comments above, but there are moments in the story that are given a new breadth and depth on the screen. The spectacular opening sequence and the depiction of the battle of the barricades being two examples.

Watch it for outstanding acting performances. Using screen actors rather than singers takes away the artificiality one usually usually associates with drama mixed with music. The sung dialogue takes on a naturalness that is difficult to achieve in the theatre. Ann Hathaway as Fantine and Eddie Redmayne as Marius show what real actors can do with these roles.

Watch it for the story. Victor Hugo's story keeps one's interest throughout. It is a huge story and is expertly told. The brilliant lyrics tell the story without the need for any further embellishment. The characters seem to come instantly alive without any need for a back story.

Watch it without prejudice. Don't go in thinking that you will not like it because people singing a story does not feel right. Don't go in thinking you are going to enjoy a film adaption of a West End musical. Don't go in to be entertained by the classic songs. Don't go in to see whether Hugh Jackman can sing or not. Go in to see a damn good story told in a very different way.

Yes. Watch it for the songs. The brilliance of the score and lyrics is why Les Mis has become the world's longest running musical. Heard in this context they take on a new beauty. I think they would be hard to listen to without the visuals though, but together they are a perfect fit.

Watch it with an empty bladder it is flippen long with no interval, but whatever you do, go and watch it.

Tuesday 1 January 2013

Ric's Believe it or Not!! The Third

The disclaimer from the second part of my treatise is still in place. So where were we? Oh yes the 1950s. What was so significant about the 1950s? Well it was about this time that the powerful forces were asking the same questions as I did, the only difference being that they quickly found the answer. Television.

Yes the advent of widespread televisions broadcasts started to cook human kind from the inside and triggered off all these dread diseases. Armed with this knowledge did the powerful forces put into place systems to lessen the effects of this radiation poison? Oh no they didn't. They saw it as an opportunity to tackle the burgeoning population that was eating up the earths resources and killing our climate.

There was only one problem. It was too slow so they looked for another source of radiation to supplement television and speed up the process of population control. In the meantime they spread the introduction of television as far and wide as they could. Have you ever asked yourself why every country has a national broadcaster providing cheap and easy access to television?

Beaming signals from the sky via satellites was an added bonus as it spread the footprint of the radiation across thousands of kilometers taking into account the poorest of poor citizens who could not afford television sets and who lived outside of urban areas, but it wasn't until a new technology emerged that put their plan into overdrive.

Cell phone technology concentrated the radiation and put a receiver into virtually every citizen's hands. By owning a cell phone we are saying "come on cook me" so all we have to do is wait for the 'ping' to tell us were done.

Phones are designed to do one thing really well and they aren't very sexy. Not everyone wanted one and kids could not have been bothered either way. So the powerful forces had to put the "rama lama" in the "rama lama ding dong". Along came Steve Jobs and phones became sexy. The only problem was that they were too expensive and so Android was born to place phone's into the hands of those with limited resources.

So that in essence is my hypothesis. The powerful forces are using the humble television and the smart phone to cull the human population. It solves the problem of having to use politically insensitive solutions such as one child policies or introducing mass sterilisation. There has been only one setback to which even the powerful forces themselves have not been immune. They have obviously limited their exposure to this radiation, but even the little that they are exposed to is having one side effect.

They, alongside the rest of humanity, are becoming more stupid by the day. If you do not believe me just read the front page of today's newspaper, or tomorrow's, or the next day's... So what do you think? Am I just a half baked conspiracy theorist who needs to be strung up by his Snopes or is there just the tiensi wiensiest sliver of truth? I will leave you to... Oh excuse me there is a rather loud banging at the doo