Coke Channels Its Inner Monster Stoked and coked. The coca in Coca Cola was cocaine until 1929. Now the corporate giant has bought about of fifth of Monster Energy Drinks for $2.15 billion, hoping to further caffeinate its products and profits – and us. Why Did Coke Buy Monster? Money. The energy drink “niche” is […]
Zee Drugs (8/18/14)
Zee Story The back of the alphabet is pushing for primacy. The masked avenger Zorro appeared in 1919; the remarkably popular Z cars television crime series transfixed Britain in the 1960s. Now is era of Z drugs. Zolpidem, zaleplon, and eszopiclone – respectively named for the commercially minded ambien, sonata and lunesta – are today’s […]
What Will Happen to Sleep Medicine? (8/4/14)
Sleep medicine is about to change. With luck it will change how people treat and view sleep. What will disappear? The present treatment model – what I’ll call the “Sleep Apnea Testing Service Model”- after the suggestion of Dr. Michael Grandner. What will replace it? Hopefully a treatment format that addresses and improves both individual […]
Using Big Data Effectively (7/28/14)
Supporting Serendipity Has nothing important happened in psychiatric research in the last 25 years? Some believe so. Here’s a quote from the science writers Carl Zimmer and Benedict Carey in the July 22, 2014 New York Times “Despite decades of costly research, experts have learned virtually nothing about the causes of psychiatric disorders and have […]
You Cancer Detection Bra Is Ready (7/21/14)
Screening in Public The bra market has a whole new category – wearable cancer detection devices. Put out by First Warning Systems of Reno, Nevada, the new bra may not immediately win fashion awards – though the magazine “The Week” declared it July 18th’s “Innovation of the Week.” The new bra – named the Circadian […]