"First, Do No Harm"



Tim Russert did not have to die yesterday. The medical establishment has much to answer for. To suggest, as his doctor did, that Russert was "controlling" his heart disease with medication and exercise is absurd. The statin drugs which doctors routinely prescribe to lower cholesterol are known to cause or exacerbate heart problems. They control symptoms without addressing the underlying causes. You didn't need to be a doctor to see that the overweight, overworked Russert was a heart attack waiting to happen.

His doctor also claimed Russert was "asymptomatic". More doubletalk. He was a diabetic with an enlarged heart and significant coronary artery disease: it doesn't get much more symptomatic than that.

A wonderful man who died too soon, and the doctors act as if it was a bad roll of the cosmic dice.