On March 20th, Senators Tina Smith and Ben Lujan, and Representatives Andrea Salinas and Becca Balint, sent a letter to the Secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F Kennedy, expressing concern about his promotion of disproven and outright false theories about mental health medications. In separate comments, Senator Smith indicated she had been … [Read more...] about Unsafe Safety
Politics of Care
Tangled up in Bureaucracy
In response to Thomas Kingston’s death, Katy Skerrett, the coroner at his inquest, wrote to the MHRA (Britain’s medicines regulator) and to NICE (Britain’s guideline body) suggesting that their communications around antidepressant hazards appeared to downplay the risks of suicidal reactions to SSRI antidepressants, perhaps contributing to his death. See Aunts, Ants and … [Read more...] about Tangled up in Bureaucracy
The Respiratory Syncytial Virus Challenge
This post by Peter Selley centres on a Moderna RSV vaccine trial, the Rhyme trial, in young babies that was stopped last year when 7 out of 40 babies between 5 and 8 months of age developed severe lung disease, compared to 1 in 20 controls. Moderna had good reason to think its vaccine could cause this, as you will see, but the company appears to have opted to overlook the … [Read more...] about The Respiratory Syncytial Virus Challenge
Kingston’s Rule
This post is written by Dr Pedro who is watching events unfold from 10,000 miles away - with some extras added at the end. The UK Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) has been asked by Katy Skerrett, Senior Coroner for Gloucestershire, to respond to her Regulation 28 report to Prevent Future Deaths, after the inquest of Thomas Kingston (above). His death seemed to … [Read more...] about Kingston’s Rule
A Turning Point in History
That time of year thou mayst in me behold When yellow leaves, or none, or few do hang Upon those boughs which shake against the cold Bare ruined choirs where late the sweet birds sang. Shakespeare Sonnet 73 These lines came to mind recently when walking by a school playground crowded with young children on lunch-break. Like birds chirping in a tree or bush, they were … [Read more...] about A Turning Point in History
The Darkness and the Light
A Darkness the Light cannot Master A priming note for Secular and all non-Xtian readers - what Xtians call the New Testament has 4 Gospels. Three open with variations on what most folk from Hollywood to the Vatican would view as the conventional Xmas Nativity story – cold time of year, manger, donkeys, star. The fourth, the Gospel according to John, is radically different. … [Read more...] about The Darkness and the Light
Probity Blockers and Trans Medicine
Never before in human history have so many had to entrust their lives and wellbeing to so few and been so betrayed. Inspired by Winston Churchill The further a society drifts from the truth the more it will hate those who speak it Inspired by Winston Smith Probity Blockers, a term originally coined by Dee Mangin, were a big talking point on RxISK in 2024 and … [Read more...] about Probity Blockers and Trans Medicine
Medical Assistance in Dying
After 6 deaths, 6 years ago, on November 17, two days ago, the New Zealand Herald featured an article reporting on an inquest into these deaths. The original with photos of the 6 children is linked. The text is below the link. The action in this post happens right at the bottom of the NZH article and beyond. Fluoxetine use in teenager scrutinised in youth suicide inquest A … [Read more...] about Medical Assistance in Dying
American Veterans Can Save Healthcare
FRIENDLY FIRE Michigan Veterans Harm Reduction Summit David Healy Thanks to Derek Blumke for asking me here today. It's a great pity not to be there in person. There is a fabulous group of speakers. Most of us sense that US Vets, more than any other group in society, may be able to move things forward in a way that can hugely help all of … [Read more...] about American Veterans Can Save Healthcare
Truth is Stranger than Fiction
GK Chesterton and then later Mark Twain said that Truth is Stranger than Fiction - it has to be because Fiction has to make Sense. But Fairy Tales are also Stranger than Fiction. Most of what we call Fairy Tales began life as Moral Tales - where the story might be incredible but the Truth lay in the Moral. For a century we have felt these tales when given to children … [Read more...] about Truth is Stranger than Fiction