I was just informed that a close friend of the family is not suffering from heart disease. I went out the web to find more information on heart issues such as irregular heart beat and found great information at www.heartlibrary.com. I was so impressed because it was St Jude Medical who has produced this site, who are a leader in heart disease. This website is full of educational videos, presented by real doctors and with detailed information you need along with visual aids to help describe the specific condition you are researching. The target audience is regular people like you and me, so the doctors speak in layman’s terms to help us understand the intricacies of the heart. It is a very well laid out site, with good patient feedback stories, FAQs and a doctor finder. This is a must see if you or if know someone who has heart disease!

When you cannot event, buy someone who can. My heart goes out to Pfizer. They have tried for years to bring a new pharmaceutical to market with no avail. Lipitor is not there own. They had to buy Warner Lambert at I believe 80 billion dollars. Not bad when Lipitor generates over 12 billion a year. But here is the catch. Now they need to replace it soon and they are still trying to replace Zoloft another billion dollar molecule now on the cheap list at most pharmacy chains. I believe Viagra was their last product they made on their own. So it should come to no surprise that they needed to buy Wyeth who is just blasting away with a new pediatric vaccine. They too have lost Effexor and are trying to replace it. So its just another great marriage, well lets hope so. Today’s WSJ reports that the banks were willing to help with the purchase but only if they can keep their Standard and Poor’s rating high. Hopefully this will mean more money for other top notch companies. I guess we will have to wait and see how the layoff go because they will no longer need that many sales staff or research analysts. We all need to understand too that it is no cakewalk to bring a new product to market. Years and years of billion dollar investment has taken Pfizer almost no where. Its too bad. It also speaks to the fact that the FDA is very hesitant in new drub applications and make the process very slow sometimes. Then you have to hope that your new pharmaceutical will work and not cause too many side effects. Its takes billions and if Pfizer cannot do it, who can?

I just mentioned that you need a solid career to ride the wave any recession, especially now and in the future. There is one job that is simply going no where and that is pharmacy jobs. Think about it, the baby boomers are beginning to retire and use many prescriptions and will for some time to come. You can work at a large retail chain like CVS, Rite Aid or Walgreens or you can find a locally owned and operated store. There are jobs all around the US for these places and you can find the jobs on the web, such as the link above. You can work as a Pharmacist that requires a PharmD or be a Pharmacy Tech or work the register. What a great rewarding job that survive the economic downturn.

Its that time of year again. Snow is falling, the roads are slick and the sales are huge. So hey, lets go driving! Sorry to be so sarcastic but really. The best defense in the world is, “Don’t Be there.” How many accidents could be avoided if we just stayed home and enjoyed our families this time of year. Dont we have everything we need. Then there is the crew just have to be at work to even just show the boss they tried. Now their car stuck in the road and it is a part of the problem and not the solution.  Now our public services are tied up because we just had to get out. Sleep in, enjoy the family, the deadline can wait.  Oh, dont forget your car deductible in the event of your accident. Wow, I am a little harsh but in these times why not save some money on gas, repairs and gadgets we really dont need on a snow day.

I was at recent community event last week where I met for the first time a person who had Autism. He was a young boy about 10 years old. It was one of his good days I was told but I could tell that playing with other children was a real challenge for him. He would strike out with fists and yelling when a particular toy was not shared. My kids were there. They drifted away from the otherwise polite young man. His mother was on edge all the time with no time to relax, always looking over his every word and action. I felt sorry for her and the situation. So what should she do, is there any hope.

I did some research and discovered there is an Autism Support Network out there. They can be found at www.autismsupportnetwork.com The goal is to connect families around the world who have general or even very specific needs. The website is geared for blogs, chat, contacts etc. What I found is that my new friend is not alone at all and that many families feel isolated and alone. I saw that first hand. Here they can exchange ideas. The family I met discovered that if they reduce the amount of Gluten in their child’s diet, he has better days. What a great idea to send to other families that need help with autism.

I learned that 1 in 150 kids have Autism and that more kids are diagnosed with ASD than with diabetes and cancer combined.  WOW. I would like to applaud this outreach program. You should have seen this family, trying to discipline their child and try to find a gluten free dinner on top of all the stress of the world.