Interview with Dr. Ray Strand - On his new book about the pharmaceutical industry

I just read an interview online with the Dr. who wrote the book called "What You Dr. Doesn't Know About Nutritional Medicine May Be Killing You!" This is an interview from last year about the pharmaceutical industry. The interview focuses on his book, "Death by Prescription." He has a knack for the foreboding title doesn't he? I have not read the book yet but the interview covers a lot of the ground represented in the book. A couple of points --- pharmaceuticals properly prescribed are the 4th greatest reason for death in the U.S. And further, improperly prescribed drugs would account for 3rd leading cause of death! He talks about the problems with FDA oversight. He talks about the controversy he has caused by advocating lifestyle changes as first resort and use of prescriptions as last resort in treating patients. I really want to emphasize his analysis of the role of cholesterol and the inflammation process inherent in cardio-vascular disease. I think he and others like him are hitting on a big piece of the puzzle that is confounded by the drug industry. He is critical of the overuse of statins for cholesterol reduction. He advocates that patients get a homocysteine blood test to determine the level as an indicator of inflamation. For a more indepth book on the strategies of the drug industry see my first September post.