Andrew Marriott's recently published If You Wake at Midnight is a compelling read. It would have been a great candidate for inclusion on the recent list of Books on Medical Treatments Gone Wrong. It tells the story of Lariam – mefloquine – a treatment to ward off malaria. A drug that for over 40 years has been causing suicides, homicides, depression, and a wide range of … [Read more...] about If You Wake at Midnight
Forked Tongues. Adverse Event or Adverse Reaction?
Linguas Bifidas © Nina Otulakowski July 2022 An Adverse Event is anything that happens while a trial is happening - even a nuclear war. There were lots of traffic accidents and broken bones in Buenos Aires during the Pfizer trial - mostly on placebo. Maybe Covid vaccines prevent fractures or accidents. Not impossible if you are too sick to get out and about. An Adverse … [Read more...] about Forked Tongues. Adverse Event or Adverse Reaction?
The Best Books on What Medicine Should Be
Two months ago I had an email from Ben Fox of forauthors@shepherd.com – a new venture looking to promote books in a new way. See Shepherd.com. The idea is to feature a book by an author and then get her or him to list five books that have particularly influenced them – centered on a topic of their choosing and linked into their work. Newspapers have been doing this for … [Read more...] about The Best Books on What Medicine Should Be
Harmatology: a New Science
In 2008-2009, 7 young women died in a HPV vaccine trial in India. There was a backlash against the clinical trial industry. Quite apart from Pharma trials, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) had 70 ongoing trials that were abandoned. It was clear, Indian investigators had to be taught how to assess awkward events properly. Barbara Bierer, a Haematologist, and … [Read more...] about Harmatology: a New Science
Mark and Barb and Eric and Carole
If North Americans don't know much about Asterix cartoons - see The Harmed, Europeans don't know about MAD. This image was adapted by Nina Otulakowski from a front cover image in Mad, see below, featuring the 1969 Bob, and Carol, and Ted and Alice movie. Born in the USA Multi-Regional Clinical Trials (MRCT) was born in the USA in 2009. Pfizer had just resolved a case with the … [Read more...] about Mark and Barb and Eric and Carole
The Harmed Throw Down a Gauntlet
The Gauls in Pharmaland © Nina Otulakowski May 2022 This set piece featuring the heroes from Cause and Effect copies a scene from an Asterix and Obelix cartoon - the original is below. Few North Americans know about Asterix and Obelix, the irreverent Gauls, who almost single-handedly held out against the might of the Roman Empire and Caesar - a bit like Ukraine holding out … [Read more...] about The Harmed Throw Down a Gauntlet
So Long and Thanks for all the Fish
This image of Jorge Mario Bergoglio and Augusto Roux with Augusto as Obelix (of Asterix and Obelix fame), in the Roman Colliseum, will have to wait for a full explanation. It will make sense in Argentina and Europe but not in North America. A detailed explanation for North Americans will come next week. The posts are out of sequence owing to the interest that blew up about … [Read more...] about So Long and Thanks for all the Fish
Post Covid Vaccine Neuropathic Arm
This post is by Mary Lynch - see Credentials in Cause and Effect. A neuropathic arm sounds like something terrible from an Edgar Allan Poe horror story. Anette Diamond (name changed) is a 66 year-old woman. She has approved this post. She had been living with chronic low back pain and fibromyalgia for several years when she was referred to me. She was very motivated in … [Read more...] about Post Covid Vaccine Neuropathic Arm
Frances, PEG and Vaccine Exemptions
Frances is now in her early 70s. She had a decades long career working as a clinical research associate primarily in oncology trials, linked to cancer or medical institutes, where she often had responsibility for adverse event reporting and went through FDA audits at trial sites - the kind that haven't happened at Ventavia sites. Serum Reaction In May 2012, she was persuaded … [Read more...] about Frances, PEG and Vaccine Exemptions
Shane’s Jaundiced view of Modern(a) Vaccines
Josef Witt-Doerring (JWD) (See Cause and Effect Credentials) interviewed Shane Cooke on January 15 2022. Josef had Shane’s ER discharge summary describing Shane’s presentation and imaging findings. He also had access to Shane’s prior medical history. Medical History Shane got sucked into the medical system in his late teenage years. Until then he had been a fit, healthy man … [Read more...] about Shane’s Jaundiced view of Modern(a) Vaccines