I coulda had a V8--er--fish oil pill

There's a part of me that knows that as long as science continues to do things the way it does things, I have journalistic job security.

But the heart inside me really wishes they'd get it so I could trash this blog and head for an isolated Costa Rican beach until I find another pressing issue to blog about.

What I mean by "getting it" is that the reason we're so sick as a culture is not because we're not taking enough medicine, or that we haven't created the perfect medicine. It's because the perfect medicine is sitting right under our noses and we refuse to acknowledge it because it won't give the people who make money off of people being sick...a patent or a respectable profit margin.

Someone who sees things the same way finally got his words into a peer-reviewed journal.

He reports that you can reduce the incidence of heart attack if you get people to take, in combination,
a statin medication,
three different blood pressure medications,
a folic acid supplement, and
an aspirin.

This brave new concoction has been called the "polypill". Yikes! It doesn't take long even for someone who hates math to figure out how many people THAT marketing...um..."treatment" approach employs.

In the words of the author delivering this breaking news,

Unlike the proposed "polypill", EFAs are endogenous molecules present in almost all tissues, have no significant or few side effects, can be taken orally for long periods of time even by pregnant women, lactating mothers, and infants, children, and adults; and have been known to reduce the incidence cardiovascular diseases including stroke.

I propose that a rational combination of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids and the co-factors that are necessary for their appropriate action/metabolism is as beneficial as that of the combined use of a statin, thiazide, a beta blocker, and an angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor, folic acid, and aspirin. Furthermore, appropriate combination of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids may even show additional benefits in the form of protection from depression, schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease, and enhances cognitive function; and serve as endogenous anti-inflammatory molecules; and could be administered from childhood for life long.

Sigh...wonder how many pharmaceutical company trash cans that brilliant idea ended up in?

Fortunately, you can decide if you want to support your own health with this idea. It is available over the counter. It's totally up to you.

Das UN. Essential fatty acids and their metabolites could function as endogenous HMG-CoA reductase and ACE enzyme inhibitors, anti-arrhythmic, anti-hypertensive, anti-atherosclerotic, anti-inflammatory, cytoprotective, and cardioprotective molecules. Lipids Health Dis. 2008 Oct 15;7:37.