Preventing Dementia Many people are scared of death, but often tell me they’re more frightened of dementia. “I can’t face that,” one patient told me, “I can’t do that to my family.” So how to stop it? One Swedish study shows a way. It includes a follow up of 44 years. Persistence can pay off. In […]
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 Only three out of 222 drugs were withdrawn from use.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, […]
The Pain Mess
Pain rots the soul. Pain scourges the body. Sadly, so does the present day treatment of chronic pain. What was a problem has become a national mess with thousands dying yearly and millions more suffering. Fashion may be the arbiter in social media, but it is a poor selector for health treatments. For many years it was […]
To Sleep – Perchance to Drive (8/26/13)
Safe to Drive? The FDA has recently requested sleeping pill manufacturers conduct more “morning after” driving tests. Getting sleep is important, but remaining sleepy while operating a vehicle is another story. They should have spoken to the police in New Zealand. Recently police in Hamilton received an odd call. A woman called about her friend. […]