Side Effects May IncludeNow available
over the counter, the phone, or the Internet—
even on the corner—
with or without a subscription.Clinically proven to
counteract depressed mood,
soothe frazzled nerves,
decrease heart and respiratory rate …
Monthly Archives: September 2010
We’re all on Prozac now
Why don’t hospital workers wash their hands?
Am I missing something here or does this say we shouldn’t publicize information about hospitals with poor hygiene because they’ll just lie about the facts or be otherwise devious and dishonest? Plus, reputation – that is, the financial profits of medicine – is more important than the health and safety of patients? No, it couldn’t be saying that.
Michelle Chappel – No Place Like Home
October 10, 2010 — 10/10/10 — is World Homeless Day. My friend Michelle Chappel Millis has written a song and made a video in support of this cause. It’s called “No Place Like Home.”
Michelle encourages all viewers to share the video – here’s the YouTube link – as a way to raise awareness of the problem of homelessness. If you’re so moved, please contribute to registered charities in your locality.
Should psychiatrists go to med school?
One of the problems Carlat readily acknowledges is that psychiatry is excessively focused on psychopharmaceuticals at the expense of other effective treatments. Not only is there too much focus when it comes to treatment. There’s so much money flowing from the pharmaceutical industry to psychiatrists that one has to seriously question the profession’s ability to be objective.
Should grief be labeled and treated as depression?
The American Psychiatric Association (APA) is in the process of revising the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) – the psychiatrist’s bible. Its last incarnation — known as DSM IV — was published in 2000. The new version will be DSM V. … One item in dispute is whether bereavement – the grieving process that follows the loss of a loved one – might qualify a patient for the DSM label Major Depressive Episode.
Support the Fair Elections Now Act
Watching political news on TV can be depressing and distressing. Even the most respectable news organizations treat politics as a sporting event. The Fair Elections Now Act is a chance to express support for something that could make a positive and important difference in the legislative future of the United States. It would be an enormous win for the common good.
Lobbying against formula for babies
You might think that companies confident in their products’ value would welcome the chance for a federal stamp of approval, not fight it. But the Big Three formula manufacturers—Nestle, Mead Johnson, and Abbot Laboratories – did just that. … Without a show of courage from the House leadership, the story of WIC and functional ingredients could turn out to be yet another well-known Washington narrative — powerful, wealthy corporations fighting straightforward, evidence-based policymaking.
Century-old kerfuffle over the “syrup” in corn syrup
I see that the Corn Refiners Association is petitioning the FDA to change the name of their ingredient – as it appears on food labels — from corn “syrup” to corn “sugar.” There’s an amusing footnote to this story. A hundred years ago, Karo Corn Syrup – a product still on the market – was fighting to be listed as “syrup,” not glucose (a simple sugar), on its label.
Merchants of Doubt
It’s easy to understand – if not condone – the behavior of politicians who are financed by tobacco and oil companies. They oppose the regulation of smoking or pollution because they benefit from the financial contributions of those industries. But what motivates certain scientists to relentlessly cast doubt on peer-reviewed scientific evidence that’s inconveniently contrary to financial interests?
Childhood obesity and will power
Between 1985 and 2000, the retail price of carbonated soft drinks rose by 20%, the prices of fats and oils by 35%, and those of sugars and sweets by 46%, as compared with a 118% increase in the retail price of fresh fruits and vegetables. …
Healthy, low-calorie foods cost more money and take more effort to prepare than processed, high-calorie foods. … Drewnowski estimated that a calorie-dense diet cost $3.52 a day compared with $36.32 a day for a low-calorie diet.
The art and science of medicine
A more nuanced translation of Hippocrates’ original Greek text might read: Life is too short; the task is huge; the right time is like a razor blade; the road to experience is fraught with hazards; to continuously accept reality and critical thought over hope and prejudice is taxing.
