Medical thoughts

Paper cuts suck. I didn't even realize I had one until I was peeling my orange. Then you get a little bit of citrus acid in the cut and it lets you know in a hurry that its there. Its at the base of my left index finger, palm side and like all paper cuts, its annoyingly painful. I asked my fellow coworkers if they knew where the first aid kit is. No one knows, which leads me to believe that we either don't have one or its in the private custody of either the secretary or the supply mistress. Since I'm not bleeding, I'll just wait until I get home. Still, annoying.

I was reading an article yesterday about how doctors can't quite figure out what is the "healthy" level of cholesterol. Some say that anything over 200 is bad, irregardless of the ratio. Others say it depends on how your HDL (good) stacks up against your LDL (bad). As a person who is going to have to worry about this someday, I would like an answer eventually. Last time I was checked, I had a good overall rating and my bad was ok. My good was low though so more fruit and veggies for me. But I carry a spare tire so the fat content will only go up.

The principle problem, in my opinion, lies not so much with the doctors but with the drug companies. Apparently Lipitor is one of the biggest drugs sold in the US with sales in the billions. When you have sales like these and the promotions that go along with them, I can imagine its beneficial to have some ambiguity in the system. If doctor A says your overall is okay but you need to lower your LDL and doctor B says your overall is too high, then all you hear is that something bad is happening and you should try to lower your cholesterol. Drugs are immediately recommended and its another hit to your wallet.

I've had some experience with this as I am mildly hypertense. I myself get far too uptight about things, plus I eat too much and don't get enough exercise. Ergo, my heart starts complaining. I was on medication for a while, but got off it when I was able to make some lifestyle changes that helped. It did open my eyes about how easy it is to go for the quick fix solution and not worry about changing other things that will do you good in the long run and not hit you in the wallet so bad. It just gives you a little perspective now and again.