Use of antidepressant to treat hot flashes raises concern (Montreal Gazette)
“You’re looking at something that is actually a drug for a fairly serious psychiatric disorder that is being used for something that is a normal part of menopause.” It’s called medicalization.
The War on Logic (NYT)
Krugman on health care repeal: “The modern G.O.P. has been taken over by an ideology in which the suffering of the unfortunate isn’t a proper concern of government, and alleviating that suffering at taxpayer expense is immoral, never mind how little it costs.”
GAO takes on health claims. Yes! (Food Politics)
Government Accountability Office recommends FDA action. “Imagine: health claims on food packages that actually have some science behind them. What a concept!” (1/18)
Now you see it, now you don’t: why journals need to rethink retractions (Guardian)
“The role of journals in policing academic misconduct is still ill-defined, but clearly, explaining the disappearance of a paper you published is a bare minimum.”
Half of Americans Have Pre-Existing Health Conditions (ABC News)
Half of Americans under 65 and 86% of those ages 55 to 64 have pre-existing conditions that put them at risk of being denied insurance. White House gets the story out ahead of repeal vote.
Different mix of fats in organic milk (NHS)
Study finds lower levels of harmful saturated fats in organic than conventional milk, but no direct link of these differences to health outcomes. It “does not prove that organic milk is better for you than conventionally produced milk.”
Correcting our record (Salon)
Salon removes 2005 story by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on link between mercury-based thimerosal and autism. Cites Seth Mnookin’s new book, “The Panic Virus.”
Image: Squidoo
Medical Research Reaches a New Low Point. Ellen Freeman and authors of this JAMA study (all on the payroll of Forest Labs, maker of Lexapro) used Lexepro to show the drug is “marginally” more effective than placebo for Hot Flashes. This is laughable. Surely you must be joking? SSRI drugs are addictive drugs with adverse side effects including loss of sexual function, akasthesias, agitation, movement disorders, violence and suicide. Lexapro for Hot Flashes is merely another example of the medical victimization of women. The study should have been rejected by the ethics committee and never been done. Menopausal symptoms are caused by hormone deficiency, not Lexapro deficiency and the proper treatment is bioidentical hormones.
For More:
http://jeffreydach.com/2011/01/19/lexepro-for-hot-flashes-medical-victimization-or-joke.aspx
jeffrey dach md
Thanks for your comment, Dr. Dach. I enjoyed the post you link to, especially the thorough documentation in your references.
There’s an interesting study recently that found hot flashes (and other menopausal symptoms) are associated with reduced breast cancer, the explanation being that the symptoms are caused by reduced estrogen (http://bit.ly/golxXn).
I’ve been meaning to do a post on the Lexapro story. I collect examples of medicalization, and I appreciated the way the Montreal Gazette article pointed that out.