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Here's an article about the latest thoughts on cholesterol. If you ever want to have your HDL (good cholesterol) and your LDL (bad cholesterol) checked, just let my office know. Dr. Rehert
New Findings About Cholesterol and Heart Attacks
March 31, 2004
March 31, 2004
Sometimes people have the idea that all cholesterol in the blood is bad. But the body needs this fatty substance to create cells and hormones.
Low-density lipoprotein, or L.D.L., carries cholesterol into the blood. L.D.L. is called "bad" cholesterol. (The lower, the better.)
High-density lipoprotein, H.D.L., is considered "good" cholesterol. (The higher, the better.) H.D.L. gathers up the unused cholesterol and moves it back to the liver. The liver then destroys it.
If L.D.L. levels are too high, then the blood has more cholesterol than the H.D.L. can remove. The extra cholesterol sticks to the inside of the arteries. This can restrict blood flow or cause blockages that result in heart attacks and strokes. For this reason, doctors often place more importance on high levels of H.D.L., the good cholesterol.
But new research questions this way of thinking. Daniel Rader is a professor who does cholesterol research at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Doctor Rader agrees that high H.D.L. is a good thing. But high H.D.L. alone does not provide enough protection. Currently doctors are told to treat patients with heart disease or diabetes until their L.D.L. is below a level of 100.
The risk of heart disease also increases in people who smoke tobacco, weigh too much or do not exercise. Other influences are high blood pressure, age and family history.
The differences between women and men have always intrigued me. Here's a story about autism - including a theory why it strikes 4 boys for every girl.
Autism Theory on Brains Sparks Debate
By RON TODT, Associated Press Writer
PHILADELPHIA - Cambridge University professor Simon Baron-Cohen thinks he knows why autism strikes four times as many boys as girls, but his theory of general differences between male and female brains has generated quite a bit of debate. Baron-Cohen theorizes that the female brain is predominantly hard-wired for empathy, and that the male brain is predominantly hard-wired for understanding and building systems. "What seems to be core (to autism) is an empathy problem alongside a very strong drive to systemize," he told an audience of about 150 people Wednesday. Even day-old baby boys, for example, are more likely to look longer at a mechanical mobile, while girls look longer at a person's face.
Autistic-type disorders, he said, appear to be an extreme version of the male brain. What causes such a shift is unclear, he said, but possible candidates include genetic differences and testosterone. Baron-Cohen said his ideas and his new book "The Essential Difference: The Truth About the Male and Female Brain," had been greeted with interest rather than the hostility he feared after "decades of political correctness" in which the idea of any biological sex differences was anathema.
"Some individuals have contacted me to say that this kind of work is politically dangerous, so that reaction is still there," he said.
The above is not meant to be medical advice. Please read the attached Disclaimer, Etc.
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