Saturday, August 27, 2005
Does Metabolic Syndrome Even Exist?
The following article points to a joint statement made by two powerful diabetes associations saying that metabolic syndrome, as "defined", is mainly a designation made to sell more drugs. You can check it out below:
USATODAY.com - Metabolic syndrome doesn't exist, diabetes groups claim
The pharmaceutical companies have a vested interest in having Westerners believe they are sick--and in need of immediate (and expensive) treatment. In this case, the pharmaceuticals are using fear of heart disease to promote drugs for people who may not need them.
This announcement by the Diabetes associations makes a stand against randomly labeling people as disease-ridden without very strict protocols for what it means. I would imagine they'll be losing some funding from their more profit driven sponsors.
I know there's a new book or article talking about the changes being made by the FDA to accommodate the drug manufacturers market expansion, but I just can't find it. But essentially, it's saying that the government is complicit in lowering the bar for what qualifies as a disease, which I believe. Yes, we're getting sicker and fatter and less healthy, but we don't necessarily need drugs to combat this. A little more exercise would probably do the trick.
This site makes a lot of use of the term "metabolic syndrome", but I've always thought that it was odd to say that any three of five symptoms are sufficient to call it such. The one that diabetics are to be most concerned with, and the one I believe our society needs to contend with as if we're being invaded by aliens, is insulin resistance. (They call it "impaired fasting glucose" in this article, which is the same thing.)
The HRH Program is designed specifically to deal with insulin resistance, though it should help with all symptoms of metabolic syndrome, even if they "don't exist". Digg This!
USATODAY.com - Metabolic syndrome doesn't exist, diabetes groups claim
The pharmaceutical companies have a vested interest in having Westerners believe they are sick--and in need of immediate (and expensive) treatment. In this case, the pharmaceuticals are using fear of heart disease to promote drugs for people who may not need them.
This announcement by the Diabetes associations makes a stand against randomly labeling people as disease-ridden without very strict protocols for what it means. I would imagine they'll be losing some funding from their more profit driven sponsors.
I know there's a new book or article talking about the changes being made by the FDA to accommodate the drug manufacturers market expansion, but I just can't find it. But essentially, it's saying that the government is complicit in lowering the bar for what qualifies as a disease, which I believe. Yes, we're getting sicker and fatter and less healthy, but we don't necessarily need drugs to combat this. A little more exercise would probably do the trick.
This site makes a lot of use of the term "metabolic syndrome", but I've always thought that it was odd to say that any three of five symptoms are sufficient to call it such. The one that diabetics are to be most concerned with, and the one I believe our society needs to contend with as if we're being invaded by aliens, is insulin resistance. (They call it "impaired fasting glucose" in this article, which is the same thing.)
The HRH Program is designed specifically to deal with insulin resistance, though it should help with all symptoms of metabolic syndrome, even if they "don't exist". Digg This!
