Personal View site logo
Make sure to join PV on Telegram or Facebook! Perfect to keep up with community on your smartphone.
ABC TV's "Catalyst" Cholesterol & Drug Marketing Exposés
  • 69 Replies sorted by
  • HaberdasherHaberdasher

    @tired Auntie should be able to compete with big business if you beleive very recent reports that it cost Aussie tax payers 1 Billion a year to finance auntie ABC. If we have 15 million tax payers that works out to 66 cents a day I think ?

  • goannagoanna

    The term "where your 8 cents a day goes", coined in the late 1980s during funding negotiations, is often used in reference to the services provided by the ABC. It is estimated that the cost of the ABC per head of population per day is now 7.1 cents a day, based on the Corporation's 2007–08 'base funding' of $543 million

    From Wikipedia

    The cost was estimated per resident, rather than "tax payer."

    try this to get a 2013 figure:

    $1,000,000,000 yearly total cost of ABC

    ÷ 365 days

    = $2,739,726.03 daily total cost of ABC

    ÷ 23,273,527 Australians

    =$0.12 per Australian per day

    If, as you say, we decide to arrive at a tax paying population of 15 Million, the daily cost of all the ABC services - Radio Australia, Radio local, Radio National, the web content, ABC TV's 1,2,3 (Children's) ABC News 24 TV, the Youth Orchestra etc etc, amounts to 18c per day per tax payer. Most commercial networks can barely run a TV station alone on that money.

    image

    In times when the future of journalism under the old advertising model is in doubt, Our ABC has shown it still has the ethics and governance to tackle the big guys and expose commercial bull***t.

    It's not only Catalyst which stands out. Take a look at how TV series The Checkout de-constructs the common commercial practices which have made victims out of us consumers.

    Speaking of the $1B ABC cost figure (cited by The Australian newspaper), it's not surprising that The Australian has an axe to grind with the public-funded ABC .

    ABC's Media Watch has caught out The Australian many times - and run the risk of litigation by giving the paper the hammering it deserved.

    It is a truly David-and-Goliath affair for the 1-billion-a-year, Auntie ABC to take on Rupert Murdoch's multinational News Corp.

    image

    Over The Past 4 Years News Corp Generated $10.4 Billion In Profits And Received $4.8 Billion In "Taxes" From The IRS

    from zerohedge.com

    Like Media Watch, Catalyst must avoid being sued or silenced by others who are loose with the facts but have long pockets. The tried-and-true way to do this is to research thoroughly and get your facts right.

  • goannagoanna

    Catalyst got their facts right. And where they found lack of clarity, they called for clarification.

    image

    So far, the facts seem to be:

    • Cholesterol exists as an essential component of the cells in our body. We still understand little about cholesterol's functions.
    • Cholesterol is a factor in heart attack, stroke and death;
    • High cholesterol build-up due to dietary, hereditary or natural causes, is a health risk;
    • Statin drugs do not remove accumulated cholesterol within arteries and veins. Their intended role is to slow down the accumulation of more cholesterol;
    • High cholesterol, even if lowered by statin drugs, may revert to high levels as the body reacts to maintain the same high levels;
    • While the cholesterol-lowering benefits of taking statins increase in the long term, their protection, if any, may be minimal;
    • Lowering cholesterol via statin drugs is desirable only when the perceived benefits exceed any risks;
    • Few controlled tests of statins have adequately quantified the risks;
    • Side effects of statin drugs such as memory loss, muscle deterioration or diabetes are serious and require more research.
    • With individual patients, doctors are conducting too few risk/benefit tests, resulting in instances of improper prescription of statins where the patient's total risk is too low to warrant the medication - meaning the statins expose the patient to further risk.
    • Apart from statin therapy, there is almost nothing we can do except minimise our cholesterol by diet and exercise.

    This is almost all bad news. Unlike the announcement of a new super-cholesterol-busting drug, this is entirely disappointing. We have to accept that we were lulled into a false feeling of protection in taking those drugs.

    There is no Santa Claus, no Tooth Fairy. And there's no easy way out of the cholesterol time-bomb. Sorry. I think we should all observe a minute's silence to contemplate this terrible reality.

    Perhaps we can look at the white-space below for 60 seconds:













  • trevmartrevmar

    Cholesterol buildup the problem? Rubbish! There is no 'cholesterol time-bomb.'

    80% - 90% of the volume of plaque is macrophages, not cholesterol. Take a look at the microscopy rather than cartoonist images you shared. Macrophages are indicators of immune activity, not of cholesterol buildup.

    As for diet and exercise, why do marathon runners drop dead in the middle of races? Where is the real evidence that diet and exercise lead to increased longevity? I don't want to see association studies (sick people don't enjoy running marathons) I want to see prospective causal studies. They just don't exist.

    Time to smile again Goanna. You are not doomed. Pick up your cameras, go and take some photos of children enjoying themselves. Then forget those silly doomsayers, and start smiling again...

  • goannagoanna

    @trevmar

    Please can you help me break down the Catalyst message as you see it into a synopsis which can be understood by laypersons? I made a start and am not surprised that I can be mistaken as to what Catalyst meant. If you choose to comment, that's welcome as well - it's just that I want to get the catalyst message right.

    [Edit:] Just in case there was a misunderstanding, I always thought the idea of a "minute's silence" was to reflect on what's been lost for just a bit, then move on!

  • goannagoanna

    Until now, the media has been full of pro-statin retaliation against the ABC Catalyst program.

    This morning on ABC TV, however, Catalyst finally responded with a simple statement which has not yet reappeared on their website or elsewhere.

    Catalyst basically stand behind all of their program's findings (with reference to the over-prescribing of statin drugs in light of their serious side-effects).

    This was a brave move in the face of what has possibly involved some serious industrial lobbying. Today, in a not-unrelated address to the National Press Club, ABC Chairman James Spigelman spoke out in defence of ABC's editorial independence - despite the Government budget cuts to the ABC expected to be announced imminently.

    (Note: it was our publicly-funded ABC which revealed the leaks regarding our own Government's tapping of the Indonesian President's phone).

    http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-12-11/national-press-club-james-spigelman/5150278

  • trevmartrevmar

    I am glad somebody has got some spine.

    I will have to subscribe to Catalyst to reward them. Oh, ... wait...

  • goannagoanna

    Having stood their ground on exposing the prescribing of statin drugs to perfectly healthy people, ABC's science journalists are keeping their steady-as-she-goes attitude.

    They've now homed-in on carbohydrate-rich diets, citing recent results showing benefits to some people of a diet rich in fats, lower in protein but very low in starch - and disputing the theory that consuming fatty food causes some sort of "explosion of cholesterol" in the body.

    Australian cricketer Shane Watson talks about how cutting carbs has helped him overcome his long-term struggle with weight. Recent research suggests it could improve the lives of people suffering from obesity and diabetes.

    Professor Tim Noakes "One of the great myths of heart disease theory is that you eat saturated fat and somehow miraculously goes from your gut and plugs your coronary arteries".

    Dr Peter Brukner "Saturated fat is not bad for you, we know that now. There is ample evidence that saturated fat is not the bogey it used to be. It's a great source of energy".

    Download the video at http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/tv/catalyst/catalyst_14_15_18.mp4

    Transcript at http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/4126228.htm

  • goannagoanna

    (see article on Drug Firms and other practices, also sourcing the article quoted below at http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/14660/big-pharma-is-form-of-organized-crime/p1 )

    The Queen's former doctor has called for an urgent public enquiry into drugs firms’ ‘murky’ practices.

    He is particularly critical of the dramatic recent increase of the prescribing of statins.

    [a paper published by the Medical Journal of Australia (MJA) last June] laimed that a programme that aired in 2013 - which questioned the benefits of prescribing statins to those at low risk of heart disease - may have resulted in up to 2,900 people suffering a heart attack or death from stopping their medication.

    The problem with polypharmacy is that the more drugs you take, the more likely you are to experience side-effects

    that are then misinterpreted by a doctor or nurse as a symptom of disease that needs treating with additional medicine .

    I was asked to go on ABC News Australia to discuss this but unfortunately just 30 minutes before my interview was cancelled.

    Had I had the opportunity, I would have given my view - that the paper provided no robust evidence of increasing hospital admissions or recorded deaths to support such claims.

    "On the contrary, the Catalyst documentary under scrutiny is one of the most brilliant pieces of medical journalism I have seen in recent times.

    A view shared by the vice president of the faculty of public health Professor Simon Capewell, who described it as 'informative, transparent, and raised legitimate concerns',

    As he and I point out in an editorial published two weeks ago in medical journal BMC Medicine, community based studies reveal that almost 75 per cent of new users will stop taking their statin within a year of prescription with 62 per cent citing side effects as a reason.

    In fact, the emerging evidence suggests at best, the benefits of statins have been grossly exaggerated and side effects underplayed.

    In recent weeks, two separate research groups in Japan and France have, independently of each other, questioned the reliability of many of the earlier industry sponsored studies that show the benefit of statins.

    In fact the Japanese research went as far to even suggests that statins may be a cause of the increasing population burden of heart failure.

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3460321/How-Big-Pharma-greed-killing-tens-thousands-world-Patients-medicated-given-profitable-drugs-little-proven-benefits-leading-doctors-warn.html

  • RamboRambo

    I've been on a Low Carb Ketogenic Diet for just over two years and also a Body Recomp over the past 12 mths, all natural, no drugs or TRT. It's an obsession of mine, reversing ageing, preparing the body for quailty of life in the next 40 years, i'm currently aged 62.

    Photos and info here http://recompositioningrambo.blogspot.com.au

  • sam_rides_a_mtbsam_rides_a_mtb

    To add to what Gamer stated, and hoping to not sound like a vegan preacher here, though all bad cholesterol comes from consuming animal products. Plants contain 0 cholesterol. Where does the good cholesterol come from? Our bodies produce it. The China Study discusses this, though you can also watch Forks Over Knives for an abbreviated summary. If you eat a plant based diet, your bad cholesterol levels will drop to 0. It's been working great for me for over 10 years and have won several bicycle races as a vegan. The whole where do you get your protein argument is a joke. Veggies, beans, nuts, seeds, grains all provide more than enough. Look up vegan body builders.

  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev

    @Rambo

    You can scare to shit big percentage of population if you do same poses late in the evening in the quiet lonely place :-)

  • RamboRambo

    Cholesterol is not the enemy, inflammation is. Cholesterol is just doing its job, repairing damage. The real aim is to reduce the density of Cholesterol particles, that can be done thru diet. I eat 5% carbs, 30% Protein, 65% fat ( mostly sat fat from animals) my Chol blood markers are excellent and densities very small compared to Blood marker tests done 2 years prior.

    VK, i scare the shit out of myself sometimes..lol

    I've no issue with Vegan diets other than most long term vegans tend to be deficient in micronutrients and bone density can be problematic for some.

  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev

    Cholesterol is not the enemy, inflammation is. Cholesterol is just doing its job, repairing damage. The real aim is to reduce the density of Cholesterol particles, that can be done thru diet. I eat 5% carbs, 30% Protein, 65% fat ( mostly sat fat from animals) my Chol blood markers are excellent and densities very small compared to Blood marker tests done 2 years prior

    I am not good at this, but some modern research shows that actually reduction of cholesterol makes no sense at all. As it is required for proper function, it is real issues with blood vessels that cause problems (and cholesterol fixes as far as nature can). If you stop proper high cholesterol it'll be just more serious issues more fast.

    Another very helpful tip. Before trying any diet get good medical books and read parts on how digestive system works.

  • RamboRambo

    FACT - Protein is Essential for life, Fat is essential for life, Carbohydrates are NOT essential, the body has the capacity via the liver to to make glucose from Protein and some Fatty Acids via Gluconeogenisis ( GNG)

    Even the Brains preferred fuel is Ketones from fats, and it will use up to 85% of them combined with 15% Glucose. Ketones are how the brain survives in starvation. It's also a very clean burning fuel, the heightened awareness and flat-lining energy levels are must experience to believe, no mood swings or 3 hourly energy dips, i can if i desire, go all day without experiencing hunger or energy loss. There is however an adaption period, approx 6 weeks before most of the changes take effect, most people quit before reaching this stage.

  • RamboRambo

    Yes VK, there is an addition test for Chol density, currently Docs only take notice of Total Chol which really indicates bugger all and results in Docs prescribing Statins, Low Trigs and Low Chol Densities are the important ones.

    VK >Another very helpful tip. Before trying any diet get good medical books and read parts on how digestive system works

    Yes and also peer reviewed medical research like PubMed etc. i've spent the past 2 years reading and trying to understand the body, it's a fascinating adaptive organism, able to adapt to good and bad stresses, but much prefers a state of Homeostasis ( balance) that is what we are constantly fighting against. It is amazing and will reward you with optimal health if you give it what it prefers and that's not alwYs what we are led to believe.

  • RamboRambo

    I got quite "Famous" there for a while haha. http://www.sbs.com.au/topics/life/health/article/2016/01/06/aussie-rambo-meet-wild-62-year-old-muscle-guru

    There is a video version of the article in the pipeline.

    Also another source http://www.mademan.com/this-aussie-gent-is-62-and-fit-af/

  • goannagoanna

    Medical World coming around to Catalyst's views on Cholesterol and Statin drugs

    The argument over whether cholesterol causes heart disease has never gone away, but now it’s back with a vengeance.

    This comes as increasing numbers of those in the medical community and more international studies are raising questions about the link between cholesterol and heart disease.

    This comes as increasing numbers of those in the medical community and more international studies are raising questions about the link between cholesterol and heart disease.

    Hand in hand with questions about cholesterol, come those about the efficacy of statins, the drugs used to reduce cholesterol. One leading British cardiologist says he believes the public is being mislead.

    Read the article and hear the Podcast on ABC's "Counterpoint" program:

    http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/counterpoint/the-great-debate-over-cholestoerol-and-statins/7330000

  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev

    Everything You Know About Cholesterol Is Wrong

    http://www.artofmanliness.com/2015/08/25/everything-you-know-about-cholesterol-is-wrong/

Add a Comment