"With the recent revelations concerning Vioxx, anti-depressant use in children and studies that cause concern about the way some doctors prescribe drugs, it has become clear that we can no longer blindly assume that a recommended pharmaceutical treatment is right for us."

The status of cholesterol as a friend or foe of the human body is the principle pillar upon which stands the diet-heart hypothesis. This hypothesis says that dietary animal fat creates cholesterol in the body which, in turn, creates elevated blood cholesterol levels--which lead to heart disease. Most professionals and lay-persons accept this simple cause and effect scenario as truth, but what if there was more--lots more--to this story?

Much has been written about cholesterol with most of it being negative. This is odd since cholesterol is a necessary component of a healthy human body. You wouldn't know this judging by the dire warnings from the medical and pharma industries regarding blood cholesterol levels.

Managing cholesterol is a billion-dollar business for the pharmaceutical industry which aggressively markets cholesterol lowering drugs direct-to-the-consumer through sophisticated print, radio, television and Internet advertising. As is often said in the advertising business, "advertising dollars well spent are profits well earned." But what if someone is sick and needs treatment? What harm does advertising do? None--if someone is sick and if the treatment is actually beneficial, but in the world of prescription drugs, that is not always the case. With the recent revelations concerning Vioxx, anti-depressant use in children and studies that should cause concern about the way some doctors prescribe drugs, it has become clear that we can no longer blindly assume that a recommended pharmaceutical treatment is right for us.

The threshold for determining what constitutes healthy cholesterol levels has been repeatedly lowered by a medical advisory board comprised of some members who reportedly have ties to the pharmaceutical industry--leading to charges of conflict of interest, scaremongering and predatory marketing. What to do about cholesterol is an admittedly complex issue and when you only hear one side of this issue, it is easy to be swayed. We've touched on the issue of cholesterol here at breadandmoney in the past, but we think it's time we provided other voices for your consideration.

Toward that end, we are providing the link below to an article that was published in the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons, a well repected, peer reviewed medical journal. This article was researched by Anthony Colpo, manager of one of our favorite web sites, theomnivore.com. Mr. Colpo is a tireless researcher whose voice joins a chorus of other scientists and researchers who are standing up to tell the other side of the cholesterol story--a side that is sadly, too often ignored.

LDL Cholesterol: "Bad" Cholesterol or Bad Science by Anthony Colpo.

What should you do? Talk to your doctor, but first, become an active partner in your treatment by studying up on the issue. Get the whole story so that your conversation will be a fruitful one.

Read. Think. Learn.