It's doubtful there was much that was unusual going on in Sodom and Gomorrah. Natural disasters and plagues were taken as signs that communities had sinned. But there is drama to the idea of Abraham asking God to spare the cities if he can find 50 just men, and then 40, and then 20 and then 10 - to no avail. It feels a bit the same with the RxISK Map. The … [Read more...] about If I find you ten just doctors…
Modern Myths
A Call to H*ARMS
Editorial Note: This is the fourth and final post in the Trick or Treat series that started with Vampire Medicines. These posts need to be read linked to the RxISK MAP posts. These are the theoretical background. The MAP posts are the practical - what needs to be done posts. Access to Medicines In the 1980, we faced one of the greatest medical crises of any century – … [Read more...] about A Call to H*ARMS
Raiders of the Lost Drug Wreck
Editorial Note: This post follows from Vampire Medicines and Cisparency and Transparency and links to Relationship Based Medicine on Rxisk. The painting is of Joshua crossing the Jordan with the Arc of the Covenant - an image that catches the essential features of climactic scene of Raiders of the Lost Arc with Joshua in the Indiana Jones position. In every generation, … [Read more...] about Raiders of the Lost Drug Wreck
Cisparency and Transparency
Editorial Note: This post continues Vampire Medicine and links to Reformation Day on RxISK and forthcoming posts - Here We Stand. Between 2002 and 2004, giving antidepressants to teenagers and the risks of triggering suicidality became one of the most high profile issues in medicine. Raising a profile should be the way to put things right but things are getting much worse. … [Read more...] about Cisparency and Transparency
Vampire Medicines
Editorial Note: This is the first of four Trick or Treat posts. They make most sense when read in conjunction with the RxISK Prize posts especially the series of 3 posts starting tomorrow. In 1962 RCTs were added to the regulatory requirement for marketing medicines. This looked like a definitive stake through the heart of hucksterism. No longer would we have to carry … [Read more...] about Vampire Medicines
Drug Bites Man
Editorial note: This post follows up on Leonie Fennell's post earlier this week - Dogs and Serotonin. The follow up comes from a celebrated event that happened over a decade ago, reported as follows in the WSJ with follow-up comments. What to Say in the TV Ads ---- By Chris Adams, The Wall Street Journal You might call it a made-for-TV drug. Approved for human use in the … [Read more...] about Drug Bites Man
Dogs and Serotonin
Editorial Note: This post by Leonie Fennell is the first of two on related themes. We would love to hear any observations you or your veterinarian have on drugs in animals in general. Depression, once a disease deemed too rare to merit study, has become so common that it is now a booming business. More and more people are asking: “When we stop at the pharmacy to pick up our … [Read more...] about Dogs and Serotonin
Where Does Change Come From?
By the Rivers of Babylon Societies keep order. They have to. For millennia, religion has been key to achieving this. Religions may aspire to make men free and able to live a full life but they also embody a set of rules designed to keep chaos at bay. A Superego whose mission is to keep an Id in check. This has been particularly clear in the religious regulation of … [Read more...] about Where Does Change Come From?
Mickey Nardo: Tangled up in Life
Mickey Nardo died yesterday. I got to visit with him and his wife Sharon on the phone a short while before he got involved with Jo Le Noury, Jon Jureidini, Melissa Raven, Catalin Tufanaru, Elia Abi-Jaoude and me Restoring Study 329 in 2013. It was one of those moments - I can still remember exactly where I was sitting when I made the phone-call. Sharon had just come back … [Read more...] about Mickey Nardo: Tangled up in Life
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