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THE TIMES, NOVEMBER 21, 2013, PAGE 8 -- Like us at Facebook.com/theponchatoulatimes
Health
IIIIIIII
Cholesterol- no longer a
numbers game
By PROF. RANDOLPH HOWES M.D., PhD
(EDITOR'S NOTE: Longtime medical columnist for The Times, the author is
an accomplished surgeon, medical inventor, and Country music recording artist.
Dr. Howes grew up on his parents' Ponchatoula strawberry farm. He is a graduate
of St. Joseph, Ponchatoula High School, Southeastern, Tulane - two doctorates,
followed by a residency at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in plastic surgery. He says
he is "retired" now in Kentwood. The doctor's column appears on facebook.com/
theponchateulatimes and online at ponchateula.com/ptimes)
For over three decades, we were told that our risk of heart at-
tacks and strokes was directly related to our cholesterol numbers
i
Dr. Howes
under 200, and LDL, or '%ad
cholesterol," under 100.
Other drugs such as niacin
and fibrates can be added to st-
atins, but no studies prove their
preventative effectiveness. Car-
diologist Dr. Harlan Krumholz
of Yale said, "Chasing numbers
can lead us to using drugs that
haven't been proven to help pa-
tients. You can make someone's
lab test look better without
making them better."
And, statins can increase
risk of muscle problems, diabe-
tes, cognitive decline (demen-
tia), mood swings, sleep difficul-
ties and a change in aggression
scores.
Please remember, Dr. Steven
Nissen of the Cleveland Clinic
and Dr. Roger Blumenthal of
Johns Hopkins, have said, "Al-
though the drugs have been
shown to reduce cholesterol,
their manufacturers acknowl-
edge that they've never been
shown to prevent heart at-
tacks or other life-threatening
events."
But, Nissan later said, "Sta-
tins have had a profound impact
on heart disease mortality."
In the America that I love,
AstraZeneca's Crestor had 2012
sales of $8.3 billion. Confusion
rules! Please discuss medica-
tions thoroughly with your doc-
tor.
(LDL, HDL), but that notion is changing.
Gone are the recommended
LDL and non-HDL-cholesterol
targets, specifically treating pa-
tients with cardiovascular dis-
ease to less than 100 mg/dL or
the optional goal of less than 70
mg/dL.
There is no evidence from
randomized, controlled clinical
trials to support treatment to
a specific target number. Thus,
the new guidelines make no rec- It
ommendations for specific LDL- [
cholesterol or non-HDL target i
numbers for the prevention of
heart disease.
The new guidelines were is-
sued by the American Heart As-
sociation and American College
of Cardiology. Yet, these guide-
lines will more than double the
population of adults taking sta-
tin drugs, because a cholesterol
guideline panel has set a lower
threshold for using cholesterol
lowering medicines to reduce
risk.
They recommend using statin
drugs such as Lipitor and Zocor,
and they identified four groups
of people they believe this will
help. Such a policy would mean
that one-third of adults (44 per-
cent of men and 22 percent of
women) would be told to take
statins.
Dr. Steven Nissen of Cleve-
land Clinic said, "It will be con-
troversial, there's no question
about it. For as long as I re-
member, we've told physicians
and patients we should treat
their cholesterol to certain goal
levels (numbers). Those goals
were never based on any kind
of careful scientific study."
Please note that roughly half
the cholesterol panel members
have financial ties to makers of
heart drugs.
Heart disease is the leading
cause of death worldwide. Most
cholesterol is made by the liver,
so diet changes have a limited
effect on it. Current guidelines
say total cholesterol should be
North Oaks Medical Center to hold
annual NICU reunion
Former patients of North Oaks Medical Center's Neonatal Inten-
sive Care Unit (NICU) and their families are invited to catch up with
their caregivers at the NICU Reunion on Saturday, Dec. 7. The annual
event will take place from 9-11 a.m. in the E. Brent Dufreche Confer-
ence Center, located within North Oaks Diagnostic Center at 15813
Paul Vega, MD, Drive in Hammond.
To sign up for the event, call the North Oaks Special Events Line
at (985) 230-2255 or (225) 686-4897 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on
weekdays.
The reunion will feature traditional favorites, including photos with
Santa Claus for the children, refreshments and holiday activities.
NICUs are hospital units that care for babies who are born too
early or have serious illnesses. While the babies are in the hospital,
families and hospital staff often become close friends. The NICU Re-
union brings the NICU "graduates," their families and the hospital
staff together again to celebrate each child.
North Oaks Medical Center opened its NICU in 1991.
• Cable
FROM PAGE ONE
gesting a cable company use the
brother-in-law's business when
laying cable in the city right-of-
way, information Tumor said he
received in a conversation with
Sandifer.
Sandifer defended himself
and his action:
"I have written many letters
of recommendation for school
kids, and for others."
In the sometimes Byzantine
world or Ponchatoula politics,
Toomer earlier in the meet-
ing unsuccessfully attempted
to rescind his support of Fran-
ces Seymore's appointment to
a city board, by amending the
minutes of the meeting when
she was appointed.
Toomer was told that he could
not do that.
Seymore heads the Serenity
House homeless shelter in Pon-
chatoula.
t
0,
• OIL
FROM PAGE ONE
certainly what it can mean to a
man in the business of selling
big trucks.
Now imagine what it could
mean to a community on the
edge of the swamps graced with
patient leaders who have quiet-
ly been putting together a bold
plan several years in the dream-
ing and making, and waiting for
perhaps this one long moment
in history, finally arriving.
Gift
Subscription
$25 a year
CALL
386-2877
Oh those artists!
Candace Bourn, and her husband CJ, introduce the Bel-
ly Bowl, hottest new pracgicaI sculpture birth memento.
(Photo Courtesy of Kim Zabbia)
North Oaks Medical Center to hold
annual NICU reunion
Former patients of North Oaks Medical Center's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and their
families are invited to catch up with their caregivers at the NICU Reunion on Saturday, Dec. 7. Th,e
annual event will take place from 9-11 a.m. in the E. Brent Dufreche Conference Center, located
within North Oaks Diagnostic Center at 15813 Paul Vega, MD, Drive in Hammond.
To sign up for the event, call the North Oaks Special Events Line at (985) 230-2255 or (225) 686-
4897 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on weekdays.
The reunion will feature traditional favorites, including photos with Santa Claus for the children,
refreshments and holiday activities.
NICUs are hospital units that care for babies who are born too early or have serious illnesses.
While the babies are in the hospital, families and hospital staff often become close friends. The
NICU Reunion brings the NICU "graduates," their families and the hospital staff together again t,o
celebrate each child.
North Oaks Medical Center opened its NICU in 1991.
Karen Pfeifer:
helping to weave a
caring community
Times Report
To say Karen Pfeifer keeps
a full schedule going is an un-
derstatement, considering the
woman is more than a little con-
sumed with the hectic schedule
demanded by Middendorf's,
which she operates with her
husband Horst.
That said, on Tuesdays you
will find her teaching an OP-
TIONS weaving class.
Currently, the class is held
at the Hammond Airport cam-
pus of the organization for the
developmentally disabled citi-
zens. If Mrs. Pfeifer and fellow
members of the Ponchatoula
Sewing Guild are looking for a
more permanent situation:
"I'm trying to find a donated
sewing room, which could be
a modular building," said the
hopeful teacher of marketable
skills.Already she has five looms
and other devices for the weav-
ing of rugs, scarves, and other
useful items. She mentions that
donations to OPTIONS are tax
deductible.
Always on the go, Karen
Pfelfer had to run. The Mid-
dendorf's 10-mile charity run
sponsored by the Pfeifers was
scheduled for this past Satur-
day, this time benefitting CASA,
the organization of court ap-
pointed citizens determined to
stand up for the children from
broken homes who are involved
in the court system.
If you can help Karen Pfeifer
establish a proper sewing room
for OPTIONS, you can contact
her at Middendorf's by calling
985-386-6666.
FLU 5H00:00T5 NOW AVAIL00L00
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1625 HWY 51 N
PONCHATOULA
Located 1 mile south of North Oaks
(Next to Cafe NOLA )
FREE LOCAL
DELIVERY !!
Come by and get to know us!
qORTHOAKS
Walk-In Clinic
PONCHATOULA
530 West Pine Street, Suite 1
Next to Gabriel Building Supply
Monday - Friday 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.
(985) 370-5656
Ii 2 moltoalm,oql TAKING YOUR HEALTH CARE IN A NEW DIRECTION.
The Ponchatoula Times - Call 985-386-2877 - P.O. Box 743 - Ponchatoula, LA 70454-0743 - editor@ponchatoula.com