I found this interesting report in by ACC News Digest this week.  *Statins are the common drugs (Lipitor, Zocor, Crestor, Pravachol, etc.) used to lower cholesterol.

MedPage Today (8/25, Smith) reported, "In what may be the final word on the issue, an international team of researchers report that statins neither cause nor prevent cancer." After researchers in the international Cholesterol Treatment Trialists' Collaboration reviewed "25 randomized controlled trials" that included "more than 166,000 participants," they eventually discovered that "there were no differences between treatment and control arms in terms of the incidence of cancer or the rate of cancer mortality." The data, according to one expert, "meet the 'gold standard' of randomized trials and 'trump the many observational analyses that have come out on both sides of the equation.'"

In a related report, walking continues to drastically reduce breast, colon, lung, stomach, and many other types of cancer.

Today is Dr. Kratche's birthday.  If you just tuned in, you may ask, who is Dr. Rick Kratche?  Dr. Kratche is an exceptional physician and leader within the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. 

About a year ago, Dr. Mike Roizen and David Pauer (You, The Owner's Manual) thought Rick would be the perfect physician to spearhead the Cleveland Clinic's walk.  They were right. 

At the time, Dr. Rick had several major league projects underway, yet he wanted to take this on.  The Clinic has taken last fall's pilot walk in Solon and steadily expanded to what will soon be 9 weekly WWAD's at various locations throughout the city of Cleveland. 

 
Dr. Kratche, Carrie Wolfe, David Pauer, and a cast of hundreds have stepped up to the plate...in a big way.  Thank you for your heroic efforts. 

This Saturday - Franklin Park Conservatory, Park of Roses, and Westerville are occurring as scheduled.  Please see www.walkwithadoc.org for all specific times and locations.

The Highbanks (HIBX) walk will not be meeting this Saturday.  In its place, the HIBX crew is meeting at 7:30 a.m. next to the regular HIBX pavilion. From there, a convoy will head down to Huntington Park - bus departing at 7:50 a.m. (same bus we mentioned in last week's newsletter - see picture).  If you choose to meet the wolfpack downtown, we will be on the corner of Nationwide & Neil - in our shirts.

If you have reserved a seat on the bus, it's still there for you.  If you have not made any reservations, please contact Tina at (maryehendricks@aol.com).  She holds all the Bus Power.  The AHA walk starts at 9:00 am.  The bus will pick WWAD'ers up at 11:30 from the same spot it leaves us at. 

Keanu Reeves is driving the bus - if that helps with your decision.