“Do you take vitamins?” “No,” I answer my patients. “Why not? Aren’t they good for you?” The nuanced answer to that remains no. A truthful answer might be “when it’s been shown you need them.” Most Americans are not vitamin deficient. There is evidence that vitamins can be harmful, not helpful. And what generally gets […]
Are Prescription Drugs Truly Safe?
Are prescription drugs truly safe? Depends on how well and how long you look. When I was discovered on endoscopy to have gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD,) my gastroenterologist told me I should immediately go on proton pump inhibitors, known as PPIs. They were extremely efficacious. “And they’re safe. I’ve been on one for 16 years. […]
Different Way to Treat Depression
Depression: Failure to Learn Depression stops you. You can’t start. You can’t think. You want to rest but can’t sleep. Simple acts become unendurable. You retreat, then hide. You can’t burden others with what you are now – stuck. In previous centuries personality changes so abrupt led depressed people to be burned at the stake. Things […]
The Future History of Drugs
What does happen to drugs following public release? A recent JAMA study combining researchers from the U.S. and France looked at the “future” of FDA approved drugs from 2001 to 2010. It found almost a third (32%) experienced a “post market safety event” over eleven years. Only three out of 222 drugs were withdrawn from use. […]
Protecting You From Dangerous Drugs
What do you do when dangerous drugs can’t be sold legally? Change the rules. We may get to see this – nationally. The FDA gets lots of brickbats, and has a tough job. Much of its funding comes from the drug companies it’s supposed to regulate. The process of drug approval is arduous, highly bureaucratic, […]