An issue that crops up in comments on both this and the RxISK blog is the question of whether treatment would be safer if given by specialists (partialists) rather than general practitioners (generalists). We wouldn't have the problems with antidepressants and antipsychotics for instance many people seem to think if prescribing was done by psychiatrists rather than GPs. This … [Read more...] about Generalists and Partialists
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Venomagnosia
Editorial Note: I was asked to review Peter Kramer's Ordinarily Well: The Case for Antidepressants for ISIS. The in print review is HERE. There is a sister post on RxISK - with a better cartoon and where the word Venomagnosia s explained - Come Back When you Have a Medical Degree. This book was very difficult to review. In Ordinarily Well: The Case for Antidepressants, Dr. … [Read more...] about Venomagnosia
Surrender
There has been a big delay between posts. This has been primarily about trying to find an image or images for this post - unsuccessfully so far. The trigger to the post came from a piece on Surrendered Wives. The BBC website had the attached piece - strangely as part of their 100 Women series. There are some articles around the place trying to imagine a Surrendered … [Read more...] about Surrender
The First Vaccine Wars
Editorial: This is a final post in the current vaccine series. In 1798 Edward Jenner in Britain demonstrated that vaccination with cowpox was a safer way to confer immunity to smallpox than variolation with smallpox. It quickly spread. In Britain, variolation was banned in favor of vaccination in 1840. In 1853, vaccinations were made compulsory with fines for refusal. … [Read more...] about The First Vaccine Wars
File under Phile: Anecdotes are not Science
Editorial Note: The Post-Truth Rumorology post attracted a comment by Annie that deserves featuring. She cites a really good Daily Mail article in which Melinda Messenger talks about intervening when her daughter is scheduled to have the HPV vaccine. The DM article drew this response from Dr. David Robert Grimes - a physicist at the University of Oxford - "Mothers should … [Read more...] about File under Phile: Anecdotes are not Science
Post-Truth Rumorology?
Stopping the spread of Japan’s antivaccine panic Following the post last week on MedWatcher Japan's efforts to bring the issue of HPV vaccines to light, my attention was drawn to a recent Wall Street Journal article which stated: “Japanese women’s health is increasingly at risk as public-health policy is driven by conspiracy theories, misguided political interference and … [Read more...] about Post-Truth Rumorology?
When the going gets tough, get a woman
64 women to sue in 3 Japanese courts over health woes from cervical cancer vaccines A group of lawyers for 64 women who are suffering health problems from cervical cancer vaccines said Tuesday the victims will file damages lawsuits against the government and two drug makers that produced the vaccines through four district courts on July 27. Of the 64 women, 28 will lodge … [Read more...] about When the going gets tough, get a woman
Go Figure: Where Does All the Pain Come From?
Editorial Note: This anonymous comment featured toward the end of the Murder or Accident post. It seemed worth transforming into a post in its own right. In the week of the US vote, a key question facing voters is where does all the pain come from. A colleague and I gave a talk to family docs this year and we discussed the opioid epidemic, including the 1% risk of addiction … [Read more...] about Go Figure: Where Does All the Pain Come From?
Study 329 Trick, Treat or Treximet
The plan this morning was to continue coverage of the Opioid Epidemic but perhaps because it is Halloween a link to a Wall Street Journal story on how Drug Makers Turn Cheap Generics into Expensive Pills arrived by email. It was difficult to resist. Here's why. The article features Treximet, a combination of sumatriptan and naproxen, used for migraine. These two drugs are … [Read more...] about Study 329 Trick, Treat or Treximet
Go Figure: Murder or Accident?
Harold Shipman was a doctor in Britain, who was arrested for murder in 1998. He turned out to be a true Angel of Death, the most prolific known serial killer, who killed it is thought between two and three hundred of his patients by prescribing opioids in large doses. After his trial and conviction and jailing, he committed suicide in jail with no-one any the wiser as to why … [Read more...] about Go Figure: Murder or Accident?