Dr. Ron Gasbarro’s letter in the April 24 edition rightfully castigated Bob Scroggins’ generous massaging of the facts to fit his quirky political and social agenda. But then Bob has been doing this for years, ignoring what his theories demand he ignores, cherry picking his facts to the utmost. It is precisely why I put the Transcript’s de facto “weekly columnist” on my ignore list a long time ago.

But in light of Dr. Gasbarro’s excellent response I checked back to see what other factual inaccuracies Mr. Scroggins has been shoveling of late. I didn’t have to go far before I discovered, once again, that Bob’s initials are not entirely coincidental.

Just several weeks back he spoke of U.S. involvement in Vietnam, a process many of us lived through in our teen years. I was aghast when he stated that 1968 was the year President Lyndon Johnson began the American buildup in Southeast Asia. As we all know, that regrettable adventure began to pick up steam as early as 1964 and particularly in 1965 as LBJ poured more and more troops into the quagmire. By 1968 the anti-war movement was in full flower and, on March 31, 1968, finally drove Johnson to announce his retirement from political life, effective January 20, 1969.

A minor matter of confusion? I would give Bob the benefit of the doubt were such gross inaccuracy not such a regular part of his weekly rant.

In short, if you’re going to be the columnist-in-residence Bob, spewing recycled political and social theories last seen going under for the final time in the late ‘60’s, get your facts right. Otherwise some readers might actually believe you.

Sincerely,

Sam W. Lewis, Esq.

Montrose, PA

Metabolic syndrome is an umbrella term for a group of symptoms: excessive abdominal fat, high blood pressure, borderline diabetes, and elevated cholesterol and triglycerides. These symptoms are precursors to cardiovascular problems, full-blown diabetes, and ten other grave health problems.

But rather than explain how to avoid these symptoms and the major physical disorders that follow, we'll take a different tack.

What kind of dietary regiment should we follow to get all the symptoms of the metabolic syndrome and the dozen or so ailments associated with it? And the answer is The Metabolic Diet or MD for short.

The MD is far and away the most popular diet ever. Seventy-five million Americans follow it religiously. The reasons for its popularity are evident: it is inexpensive, convenient, compliance is extraordinarily easy, and it's crammed with delicious foods.

To get you started we'll take you through the meals of a typical day on the MD beginning with Breakfast. Start the day right with something from a box. Sprinkle it with sugar and douse with pasteurized milk. Two slices of toast (make sure it's white bread) with margarine, coffee with sugar and half-and-half, and a glass of o.j. is an excellent beginning. If that's too much trouble, skip to a bagel spread thick with cream cheese and topped with jelly. Now you're ready to go.

Lunch - Try fast-food. Order a cheeseburger with fries and a shake.

Snack time is soda time. Get something from a vending machine to go with it.

Supper - Pop a frozen meal into the micro or a pizza into the oven. Have it with a coke. For dessert have a piece of pie or ice cream or both. Then park yourself in front of the TV with a couple or three beers and chips. By the way, the MD encourages you to have at least three alcoholic drinks a day, more is better than less.

There is no calorie limit, so eat and drink as much as you like. The only restrictions are greens, fruits, whole grains, nuts, seeds, eggs, and oily fish; they are counterproductive on the MD.

Soon you'll find that you're making progress in acquiring the metabolic syndrome. Your clothes are getting tight especially around the midsection, you lack energy, and the reading on the blood pressure machine at the local drug store is alarmingly high. Perhaps it's time to visit your family physician.

A blood workup and a fasting glucose tolerance test reveal your cholesterol and triglycerides are way too high and you're pre-diabetic. Your physician advises immediate dietary modifications and prescribes two drugs, Lopid and Lipitor, to bring your weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, and triglycerides down to the normal range.

But you're curious about the side effects, so you read the package inserts. Not good. This prods you to do some research.

The side effects of Lopid are worrisome: jaundice, liver failure, blurred vision, muscle wasting, easy bruising and unusual bleeding, shortness of breath, and rapid heartbeat.

Lipitor's side effects are worse. They include many of Lopid's unwanted effects, plus diabetes, cataracts, and birth defects. In fact, there are more than 900 studies citing its deleterious effects. The FDA even requires a warning on the product's label.

Could the cure be worse than the complainants?

You're worried. You call your doctor. He agrees that the side effects are serious but explains that drug therapy is a risk versus benefits proposition. He assures you that in his professional judgment the benefits far outweigh the risks and the risks are rare.

But are they? Are the risks rare or are they rare because they are seldom reported?

The FDA Adverse Events Reporting System is a database that records unfavorable drug reactions. The agency admits that 90 percent of all adverse drug reactions go unreported. Ninety percent!

You wonder: risk versus benefits, pharmacological therapy, infrequently noted side effects---there's got to be a better way.

Sincerely,

Bob Scroggins

New Milford, PA