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Showing posts from March 27, 2017

Dear Mark: That New Cholesterol-Lowering Drug Study

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For today’s edition of Dear Mark , I’m answering one question. It’s a good one. A reader (many, actually) wrote in to get my opinion on the latest blockbuster cholesterol-lowering drug. A new study appears to show that the drug in question—Repatha—reduced LDL to unprecedented levels and protected patients against the primary cardiovascular disease endpoints they were measuring. What does it all mean? Should we all start taking Repatha? Let’s dig into it: Hi Mark, What’s your take on this study of a new heart disease drug called Repatha? Apparently it was able to reduce LDL levels to an unprecedented degree, and the lower the LDL the lower the heart attack risk. Yeah, I saw this. Here’s an article about it in the NY Times . Here’s the actual study . The Times article is positively gushing, recounting that the drug “significantly reduced the chance” of a “heart attack or stroke” in “men and women who had exhausted all other options.” What’d they take? Repatha is an PCSK9 inhibi

Clean Eating Cabbage Hash Recipe

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I recently went on a field trip with Mini Chef and his class. We went to a local farm where they raise sheep. One thing I love about this area is how picturesque it is. Everywhere you look there is something beautiful to see. From farms to vineyards and coastlines, this part of Northern California is definitely blessed. When we got out of the car, all we saw was beautifully green fields (thanks to all those storms we just survived) and sheep as far as the eye could see. We were introduced to the farmer (who’s daughter is in Mini Chef’s class and the reason we were able to visit this family farm in the first place), and then we met the sheep and other animals who live here. The dogs who help around the farm were incredibly cute. One was named Shamus and the other (pictured here) was named Sandy. And then, there was Freckles. Freckles the “ba-sheep” as Mini Chef and I still refer to them (some toddler terms never go away). Freckles accompanied us for very nearly the entire field

A Horse Is A Horse Of Course, Of Course

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We had such a fun weekend OUTSIDE! The weather was great, and we packed in a lot of fun activities. On Friday Mazen didn’t have school, so we walked downtown and met Thomas for lunch at Rev Soup. The Gulf Salad is always my favorite! Plus a few bites of Mazen’s spinach and cheese quesadilla Post lunch ice cream treat! Mazen spent Friday night with Matt, and we headed out to the Struckmann’s for a bonfire. T and I had dinner at Keswick Hall’s bar beforehand. We shared the mussels to start: And I had a kale salad with salmon on top. Ate every last bite! Dessert was s’mores with giant marshmallows!! On Saturday morning I had a quick breakfast before heading out to pick up Mazen and take him to his first soccer practice of the season! He did really well, and he’s definitely getting a better feel for the game. We had lunch at home. Salad for me! After lunch we joined a bunch of friends – and pretty much all of Charlottesville – at King Family Vineyard for the afternoo