[Dennis Kalma]

Just FYI...I have had a negative reaction to every statin....Crestor, Lipitor, Effexor, Lipidil Micro and a few others. Always the same, joint pain, muscle pain....severe discomfort.

While I do not agree that it is a plot by drug companies to sell drugs...they certainly are not adverse to painting a picture that you will only be healthy if you take all these medicines to control your body.

I think drugs have a place, but I also think that we all need to get our head around the fact that all of us are going to die, and we will die of something. In some cases it will be a car accident, others will be cancer, old age, heart failure whatever. You can't avoid it at all.

In my mind, the medical profession ought to combine the goals of providing assists to make life meaningful and enjoyable with living longer. I have a friend who is a nurse in teh old folks placement business....her assessment is that medical science is making the bodies live longer than the brains or desire of the patient. Good grandma with Alzheimers...her body is fine, but her brain left us in 1996 and we are all getting sick of changing her diaper.

So, do what you want...of course. I work out and watch diet as it is good for me on a few dimensions, makes me feel better as well. If a drug can reduce a risk without undue side effects...I'll give it a try. But if my quality of life suffers too much...I'll take the risk back thank you very much.

I just get really ticked off when insurance companies refuse to cover me as my cholesterol is too high and I refuse to take their choice of drugs....one nut case said that my risk was assessed similar to someone who is suicidal.

Sigh...

Dennis