2002 October

Statins have been pushed by the pharmaceutical companies so hard for so long that many physicians are simply on auto-pilot: if the cholesterol is elevated, write the script for the statin, and have a nice day.

It happens every autumn – the days grow cooler and shorter, Halloween decorations appear in shop windows, and someone always asks this question:

"What is your advice on getting a flu shot?"

In an e-alert I sent you last week ("Live Wires" 10/21/02) I told you about how the antioxidant coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) appears to slow the progressive deterioration of function for patients in the early stages of Parkinson's disease.

I received several e-mails about that one, and all of them zeroed in on one slightly confusing paragraph.

Have you ever tossed back a multi-vitamin and an herbal supplement with the same glass of water and wondered if by taking them together, one might compromise the effectiveness of the other?

When your body is under attack from both a disease and a treatment that depletes so many of the body's resources, the immune system needs every source of help it can get. So I was pleased when I recently came across two studies that offer a few rays of hope to those who have to endure abrasive cancer therapies.