Dr. McDougall recently released some Breaking News to his e-mail list, under the headline “Bill Clinton’s Madness: A Consequence of Heart-Bypass Surgery Brain Damage.” I was sort of surprised the headline didn’t end with a question mark but, in his article, McDougall compares the Clinton that stood against impeachment and being known for his wit, charm, and ability to stay calm under his pressure to the one out stumping for his wife’s campaign:

“Now, he is easily angered by hecklers, and makes factual mistakes and racial slurs while aggressively defending his wife’s campaign for presidency. Everyone sees his mental and emotional decline, yet to date, no medical professionals have spoken out about the cause or offered help.

Not a single one—not one bypass surgeon, cardiologist or psychiatrist—has stepped forward in his defense; even though all of them are trained to recognize “post bypass surgery cognitive dysfunction.” One of the best-kept secrets in medicine is the brain damage caused during bypass surgery.

McDougall gives a lot of facts and figures about the procedure, and finishes up by saying:

“I am saddened to see our former president suffer from public humiliation, but I am disgraced that my profession has thus far failed to come forward with a long over-due explanation and an apology to the Clintons and our nation for the harm they have done and the secrets they have kept.”

Wow, interesting stuff from Dr. McDougall… Definitely worth a read.

Sorry everyone, just started a new job, so my inbox has been piling up while I get use to having regular commitments (as well as incoming money) again. So, all my extra-curricular stuff like website postings have suffered. I’m trying to get a new schedule running here, so things should pick up again soon.

But here’s what’s been building up in my absence:

In a recent newsletter, Dr. McDougall has been helping people realize that a vegan diet helps them save money at the grocery store, and that’s above and beyond the cost of quadruple bypass surgery: “Winning during an economic crunch involves behaviors not much different than those you should already be doing during good times.” Makes sense, as per usual.

After my recent tirade, 24 Hour Fitness has released two more newsletters. The topics? Gardening and yoga. Coincidence? I think not.

Teresa Rodriguez is the latest Star McDougaller: “I was told I have a permanent disabling mental illness by my doctors and that I would never work. I now know that is not true. My journey to regain my life has provided me with purpose and drive, two things that I have been lacking for many years.” Congratulations, Teresa!

Organic Athlete pointed to some good studies that came out recently. One links meat consumption and cancer risk, which is old news, but the more research, the better.

They also found a study showing healthy, middle-aged Chinese women who consumed more legumes had a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Again, nothing surprising.

The PCRM noted that increased egg consumption is linked to a higher mortality rate. The group also tipped us off that once your bad diet gives you diabetes, your inhaled insulin might give you lung cancer. Exubera, an inhaled insulin delivery system, has been linked to an increased risk of lung cancer. Pfizer released this statement: “Over the course of the clinical trial program, 6 of the 4,740 Exubera-treated patients versus 1 of the 4,292 patients not treated with Exubera developed lung cancer. In addition there was a post-marketing report of lung cancer in one Exubera-treated patient.” All affected patients had a prior smoking history. It is not yet clear whether Exubera aggravates cancer risk in smokers and former smokers or the link is simply coincidental. The company is updating product labeling to reflect the findings. On October 18, 2007, Pfizer announced its plan to discontinue the product after disappointing sales.

vegan.com had a major relaunch, and is a good source of information. I just find it to be too animal-centric for daily reading. I’m not the kind of vegan who wants to hear about animal slaughter every day.