At 3:09 PM -0700 5/22/00, David Lewandowski wrote:

>Unfortunately, many doctors know virtually nothing about the drugs
>they are prescribing and are getting much of the "informative" literature
>from the drug company reps. Major conflict of interest.

Taking this conflict of interest to another level, physicians in
Japan are given direct kickbacks (legal) from pharmaceutical
companies for dispensing their products to patients. That is, their
roles include the commerce of drug-based cures. Thus it's not
surprising that a multiple prescription includes drugs that are
contra-indicated (though it's in bad taste to question the doctor
directly about why little Naomi was given a huge bag of pills and
powders). I walked out of a hospital in Osaka with such a concoction
and trashed its contents after two days of exacerbating symptoms.
Lesson: $60 is way too much to pay for a paper bag.

Tying together Asian cultures and a paleo diet, the largest obstacle
to a low/zero carb dietary may be the mind set of a rice-based
culture. Probably more than the western bread and potatoes, a bowl of
rice is deemed a necessary staple for any meal, especially in
developing regions where meat consumption is limited.