Health Care & Drug Companies

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Highlights:

Drug Companies & Testing win real Health at Different Stages II win real Health at Different Stages I win real

Date:	05-17-06
Host:	George Noory
Guests:	Dr. John Abramson, Frosty Wooldridge

Dr. John Abramson(1) of Harvard Medical School addressed issues surrounding health care, medical studies and the pharmaceutical industry. Most drug studies are funded by pharmaceutical companies who have a financial conflict of interest, and there is a five times greater chance that the study will find in favor of the drug, than when an independent study is done, he reported. Pharmaceutical firms have a "virtual monopoly" on new products and face no price controls (as they do in every other country besides the United States). Also, most countries except for the U.S. don't allow direct-to-consumer marketing, such as in TV commercials. Lobbyists who work for the drug companies, outnumber U.S. lawmakers 2-to-1, he added.
We spend twice as much in the U.S. on health costs, yet people don't live as long as they do elsewhere, and 1/3 of American health care is either unnecessary or harmful--that's $650 billion a year on "wasted health care," said Abramson. He argued for the necessity of universal health care, as people without coverage can be financially crippled by trips to the hospital. The "important thing is to get everyone covered" whether through a single-payer system like Medicare or through market options, he commented.
We understand how to prevent about 80% of heart disease, Abramson stated. His suggestions for this were: controlling chronic stress, eating a Mediterranean diet(2), getting routine exercise, not smoking and drinking in moderation.

1. http://www.overdosedamerica.com/
2. http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4644

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Immigration Commentary

First half-hour guest, Frosty Wooldridge(1) offered commentary on illegal immigration. He doesn't think the proposed fence will be enough, and believes the border should be secured with an ongoing military operation. He also suggested that existing laws be enforced, penalizing employers who hire illegals. Wooldridge is promoting the 21st Century Paul Revere Ride(2), a 14,500 mile coast to coast motorcycle trip that seeks to alert Americans to the "immigration invasion." The ride starts in Denver on May 29, 2006 and ends in Washington, DC on August 12th, with a rally on the capitol steps. 1. http://www.frostywooldridge.com/ 2. http://www.21stcenturypaulrevereride.us/index.html

Bumper Music

Bumper music from Wednesday May 17, 2006

1.	All My Love Led Zeppelin	2.	Any Colour You Like Pink Floyd	3.	Blade Runner Blues Vangelis
4.	Bur Said Cusco	5.	Distant Early Warning Rush	6.	Fever Starsailor
7.	Fever Peggy Lee	8.	Fever Chase Masterson	9.	Fever Elvis Presley
10.	Fever Little Willie John	11.	Hey Nineteen Steely Dan	12.	I'd Love to Change the World Ten Years After
13.	Inca Dance Cusco	14.	Midnight Express (The Chase) Giorgio Moroder	15.	Midnight Express (The Chase) Giorgio Moroder
16.	Orinoco Flow (Sail Away) Enya	17.	The Magnificent Seven The Clash	18.	Why Can't I Touch It? Buzzcocks
19.	I Want a New Drug Huey Lewis & the News	20.	Summer in the City Lovin' Spoonful	21.	Johnny Angel Shelley Fabares