Charlie Rose

Medical Student  07/20/2008 02:30 AM Report

Reply to post by David Buddle:

I'd like to take issue with two of your points. The first relates to your comment on how Bush is not opposed to stem cell research. By prohibiting scientists from using federal funds to create new stem cell lines and at the same time federally funding other types of scientific research, he is in fact making a powerful statement about his disagreement of federal funding of stem cell research. By specifically excluding stem cell research from the long list of research endeavors that are federally funded, a strong statement is sent to the nation. It is important for both private and pubic monies to go into research. The NIH (the premiere government research wing) is a leading sponsor of national research and by choosing to fund certain types of research over others, it has the power to set an agenda of what type of science is done in this country. This leads me to your second point, namely, how stem cell research is more hype than hope. Please back up your comment. What qualifications do you as an individual have to make this statement and expect to be taken seriously? Are you yourself a scientist or medical doctor? From my point of view as a medical student, it is very clear that research in this field has the potential to provide revolutionary therapy in the future. I think your last comment actually reflects a larger problem in this country; namely, the citizenry's ignorance of science. And from this ignorance, stems doubt and statements such as yours.

Tom Poe  10/30/2007 01:18 AM Report

Uninformed preaching to the choir gets noone informed. May I offer a solution for panelists and moderator to consider next time the topic is considered:

A nonproprietary automated clinical research data collection system does many things. One thing it does, is to lower the cost of R&D for products seeking to move through the product approval process to market by 70% or more. Another thing it does, in conjunction with the lowering of the R&D cost, is enable governments to conduct and manage research globally with little or no cost of entry to establish a centralized monitoring center. A third thing it does, is enable the creation of a product approval system (small changes to the present product approval system) that allows small biotech firms to compete for investment dollars without "selling out" to larger pharma companies in order to gain the credibility. In other words, they would be able to implement the original Accelerated Approval Policy of 1992, and enter a "controlled" market place years earlier than now needed by our present system.

It would be delightful if Charlie Rose would permit substantive discussion to take place on his show, instead of shilling for the pharma industry.

David Buddle  10/10/2007 02:00 PM Report

A first-time viewer, I happened to view this segment. During the discussion about the promise of stem cell therapy for repairing damaged heart tissue, Dr. Nissen stated that the current administration opposed stem cell research.

I think he meant the administration of President George Bush. If so, his statement is false. There is no ban on embryonic stem-cell research. Regulations established by the Bush administration prohibit researchers from using federal funds to create new lines of embryonic stem-cells. It does not hinder private companies from funding their own work.

In fact, President Bush is the only president to make federal money available for stem cell research that does not destroy human life. He is a strong supporter of the stem-cell therapies that are being produced from adult stem cells. On the other hand, the promise of cures from embryonic stem cells is more hype than hope.

Thank you for the opportunity to respond.

Elaine Lewis  09/29/2007 02:09 PM Report

I have, for more than 20 years been an avid fan of 'Charlie Rose'. This is my first letter.

I have known for some time that diabetics are likely to develop heart trouble. But, not why. One of your guests informed that one of the reasons this is so is that diabetes lowers production of the "good cholesterol".

Can this be corrected if blood sugar is perfectly controlled and effective doses of Omega 3 oils prescribed?

It is my understanding that statins alone are only minimally effective.

Thank you for continued excellence in your work over the years. I actually did meet you once, briefly many years back, at the Army/Navy club here in DC and have friends that are neighbors of yours there in NC.

sylvia heyman  09/24/2007 07:46 PM Report

the show was excellent and i especially found dr. harlan krumholz very informative along with drs. lance becker,steve nissen, lori mosca, and paul nurse. thank you for the program.

grossman  09/24/2007 07:17 PM Report

The message my body gave me about two weeks ago was the following:"Genes Trump Lifestyle". I am 67. I weigh the same as when I was on the high school varsity swim team in 1957. I smoked for two years in the early 70's. I am active, bike everywhere, ski, backpack (canyons, mountains). Tai Chi since 1973 and Yoga since 1977. A well-used Nordic Track is in my home office. I've been a vegetarian since 1973 (but meat/potatoes prior): beans, rice, greens, tofu. A single aspirin every day since 1973. Annual blood draws always showed HDL/LDL well within normal range.

Does that sound like a man about to have a major heart attack? I came real close; a clot was about to tear away from an 85% blockage of my left descending coronary artery. A very insightful cardiologist saw my calcium score of 10 (he was looking for 400!) and did an angiogram to test the hypothesis it was all in one place. It was. I now have a stent and got dropped into the deep end of the cardiovascular disease pool about two weeks ago. I'm just learning to swim. Likely a genetic effect, not lifestyle. According to the doc, my healthy lifestyle probably saved my life as I had been challenging the left descending coronary artery many, many times in the last coupla months. The other clues: serious decline in endurance, chest pain on mild exercise. I tried to believe it was GI related as who wants to do an angiogram? Sader-Mosach? I'm now chest pain free but am I 'out of the woods'?

Guess this retired scientist will be engaging a whole new world of 'literature', listen/watching fora like this show, and engaging a very good local cardiologist to find out. Doc says we will have a lifetime relationship with meetings/tests at least twice a year. Meanwhile, back on the bike to get to the grocery store and get some more greens and tofu. Even this rainy, cold day is amazing and beautiful to me. Friends, who already meant a lot to me, mean even more now.

I also agree with a previous poster that the current health care system is heavily skewed to folks like me and needs some serious remodeling.

Charlotte and Charles Fox  09/21/2007 02:02 AM Report

A wonderful, informative program. All of the physicians gave wonderful presentations; Drs. Harlan Krumholz, Steven Nissen ,Lauri Mosca and

Lance Becker

Michael Charap  09/21/2007 12:06 AM Report

I feel good that I do consistant exercise, where my heart rate stays high for 30 minutes or more. President does that too. I take salmon oil suppliments and follow a Japanese diet. I have eaten fruits and vegetables for years and years. Knowledge is power. This knowledge drives me into action. I will watch this show again and take written notes. Plus I learned about CPR, and was in CPR situation where I did not want to do mouth to mouth to a same sex male. These are all important issues. The salmon oil will take away the bad cholestrol. I learned all this at my local library medical lecture on heart disease. Thanks Charlie, Keep it up.

Dogit2  09/20/2007 06:47 PM Report

The program made me feel hopeless and helpless. I have heart disease. To hear that an angiogram is no longer considered the gold standard for detecting plac as it can not detect cholesterol that is in the walls of the blood vessels, if it is not causing a 'blockage' is not helpful without more information. They claim cholesterol deposited in the walls (although not blocking flow) is all over and what generally causes the heart attack. How do they know that? If know test exists to 'see' these deposits and no treatment exists, what hope is there? They concentrated much to much on morbidity. the only hope the seemed to hold out for toes of us who already have heart disease is to hope that when the time comes we can get the 'cool' treatment.

Joanna Wiscombe  09/20/2007 06:14 PM Report

Your program on heart care was remarkable. My heart goes out (pun intended) to the woman whose husband is on four medications and still can not walk without losing breath. The MD's on your program represent the exception and not the rule. Most cardiologists in this county do too many operations and do not have most of this information. I often wonder just why doctors treat people over 60 with such ill concern for their general health and well being. Our medical profession is so directed by big pharma and exciting surgeries (to the doctors) that the hypocratic oath of "do not harm" is out the window. When insurance can afford it, we are becoming the most overtreated and under healed nation in the world. I hope your series brings this issue to the forefront of the next presidental election. In some odd way, not having insurance might become a benefit for some, they will be saved from the American Medical Institution.

David Chowes  09/20/2007 05:29 PM Report

Your "Science Series" is superb and is always cutting edge.

Wednesday's program on heart disease falls into the above category.

Besides informing the viewer of heart pathologies it, at the same time, the episode provided a metaphor which intructed us about the nature of most other diseases/disorders -- be it cardiac or schizophrenia...

To elaborate: the interaction of genetic predispositions, environment, ethnicity, level of education and our behaviors, and,...

If I had to choose between PBS or ALL the hundreds of other networks and stations which my cable system feeds to me -- my response would be quite easy: PBS!

Thank you, Mr. Rose!

Carol J  09/20/2007 03:22 PM Report

This is for Charlie and mnjam. Since, I am a relative newcomer to the Charlie Rose Show, I to would like to know why Charlie had surgery in France. What I have learned from the internet and heard on the show, I thought it was for convenience as Charlie was in Syria interviewing the Syrian President. There was an article in the AARP Bulletin about Americans going overseas for health care. How about a show on this issue.

mnjam  09/20/2007 11:50 AM Report

I was nauseated by this program -- sick from listening to doctors talk about all the "great advances" they are making in treating heart disease (or anything else),knowing full well that these "advances" will benefit few if any people in this country. Talk about improved care is a cruel hoax --propaganda for the monstrous racket known as the "American healthcare system."

The doctors on the panel and their colleagues have knowingly created and/or participated in the creation of a system which delivers increasingly inferior care to increasingly fewer people for increasingly inflated prices. The panelists know full well that the "advances" they spoke of will benefit few if any, while the many who will never receive them will pay increasingly more for less.

90% of the people in this country can't even afford health care (i.e. states are proposing SCHIP thresholds which include 90% of the population).

Those who can afford it (the wealthy and people over 65) are being ripped off. American hospitals are slaughterhouses -- they have death rates from infection comparable to a civil war battlefield. That's when they are not engaged in meaningless efforts to add a few months of misery to the life of a dying person for fun and profit.

The decision of the American Medical Profession to become hired agents of private health carriers is the main cause of this situation. American doctors are the leading cause of bankruptcy. They are well on their way to destroying this country. They are a cancer on the body politic.

Anyone who goes to an American hospital or purchases American health care insurance is a fool. If I had heart disease, I would seek treatment in France (like Charlie Rose), Israel or Thailand.

The doctors on the program are arch-hypocrites and total parasites. The entire country would be better if each of them left for some other place to do their evil there.

I would like to see a program which discusses the moral and financial bankruptcy of the American health care system. I would also like to see Charlie Rose interviewed to explore why he sought treatment for heart disease in Paris rather than New York. We don't need any more lies and propaganda from American doctors.

Steve Trevino  09/20/2007 11:48 AM Report

I know Mr.Bernal who posted earlier. He is a lifetime friend who was always thin and tall frame. Opposite of me (overweight, beer gut) yet for the past four years my cholestral count was lower that his. His by-pass was a shock to family & friends. Finally, two months ago i failed a cholestral test and need to make changes NOW. My comment is skinny / thin people can get it too, my buddy's genetics got him and my eating habits will get me later.....exerise and eat in moderation. I will now watch the video.

Amanda  09/20/2007 04:07 AM Report

If anyone is interested in learning about heart disease, they should really read "The China Study" by Dr. Collin Campbell. It changed the way my family and I look at preventive health care. Truly an eye-opener.

Baldemar Bernal  09/20/2007 02:06 AM Report

Thanks for the show tonight. Iâ??m a south Texas native with coronary artery disease. I was diagnosed at the age of 38 with symptoms appearing roughly about 4 years prior to my diagnosis. It was two years this month since my by pass surgery and have taken preventive measures to maintain better health. Iâ??m sure that the combination of genetics, diet and lifestyle may have contributed to my condition and advice my fellow Hispanos to become more informed about this health issue. I feel that this health issue can be prevented if not reduced with options discussed by the panel tonight.

Buen salud a su Corazon,

Baldemar Bernal

Gina Alianiello  09/20/2007 01:56 AM Report

Charlie, Please do a show where doctors actually trace the parallel between the rise of heart disease and obesity with the rise of industrialized food. These good doctors on your show are full of creative, amazing solutions, but they are chasing ambulances with theories. Does no one consider that the human body can metabolize and function optimally with REAL FOOD--that has not been unnaturally manipulated with chemical preservatives and perverse commercial practices that strip it of its natural integrity? Please host doctors who can talk about what industrialized foods do to the human body.

Tom Wakefield  09/20/2007 01:36 AM Report

I enjoyed the program tonight - the most important words came right at the beginning: heart disease is a disease of western civilization, of lifestyle, of the environment. Therefore most of the discussion that followed could be rendered irrelevant if heart disease were addressed at a political, rather than a technological level. Ending tobacco subsidies, corn subsidies (the relationship of corn production to obesity and diabetes has been well described), and changing other aspects of agribusiness policy such that the food we can obtain so cheaply in our grocery stores were actually healthy...this would do more than delay heart disease as Dr Becker suggests, but would decimate the incidence of heart disease.

PS - how about doing a show on peak oil, which has tremendous impacts on the future of science and health?

margo bright  09/20/2007 01:09 AM Report

Thank you so much for a very informative show on Heart Disease. My husband has a defibrillator a stent and he takes 4 different medications. He still gets out of breath doing the least little thing. But his doctors keep telling him to take the medicine.I think the incentive for doctors to get patients cholestral down and preventive steps is one key to winning the battle. Because I believe the Doctors are in bed with the Pharmaceutical companies anyway.

Carol Bischoff  09/20/2007 12:59 AM Report

Thanks for a terrific show tonight. I thought the back to the basics & practice what we already know comments were particularly important. Lori Mosca seemed to focus on these themes. I would like to hear more about how to get one's doctor to think of an individual's health decisions as a partnership rather than a dictatorship. I understand doctors are under enormous pressure to see as many patients as possible but it is our lives!!! Some of us have very specific ideas about what we want in our bodies.

Harry Cushing  09/20/2007 12:37 AM Report

I am so glad you aired this as I am a recent recipient of a ICD (Pacemaker). After a battery of tests for 3 months I also had a valve replaced. I still have high blood pressure and am taking 4 different medications with little or no results. It is a fact from your show that Americans are not incentified to take care of themselves and it is to bad that things have to get to CHF proportion before corrective actions are taken. Thanks for a "right on" topic.

sam elsberry  09/20/2007 12:07 AM Report

charlie, I have been watching for ten years. i've never written you. I'am 32, I want Dr. Lance Becker as my doctor. The host doctor could not understand what Dr.lance was talking about. The others at the table were clueless. thank you for everthing you do.

sam elsberrry.

tevo durham  09/19/2007 11:57 PM Report

Thank You to everyone on tonight's Heart Disease Special show. It would be amazing to see a link or even an onsite list of the various Great suggestions the panelists have to oofer on these Special Health series. I'd be thrilled to write my community/government leaders to lobby for school programs for CPR and demand obesity-causing "foods" out of the lunchroom and the ice cream trucks off the playground corner.i learned alot tonight. The recent show where Charlie Rose asked Mehmet Oz if he ate ice cream ( "No" was the reply) has kept me away from the ice cream shop since it aired mid-summer. What a difference a show like this makes.