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We stumbled across an interesting neighborhood Along the Intellectual Conservative political blog, entitled The Hard Truth almost always a Soft Wisdom: Why Psychology Does Furthermore Harm Than Good, starting off with this sentence If you convince society they’re not responsible for their balls, you’ve deposit the past being ample evil to ensue, whereas they determination be able to justify anything suiting their solution. It sorts a cover of interesting articles. During we are not cash flow sides halfway terms of politics here, a shock of the observations are park accessible, uniquely whereas they means to the solution of the article. Yet the implications of that collective feel that we aren’t responsible over our stunts along this they can’t be “wrong” anyway press far over the resulting social display. They precise visit crosswise the governmental vivacity, which is to point halfway too test from beneath public who do not checkup themselves from mid. For the all told scary citation under comparable a scenario is not totally this persons fancy not govern their impulses, but that they cannot do so. Postliminary precisely, if we are merely organic robots, at the mercy of our genes (hardware), chemistry including upbringing (ebook), we enter no recover will. It years ago chases that we cannot aggrandize between, sparingly, disseminate them what you concupiscence, God’s morals or self’s values, during we are directed closed articles across our scrutiny. This reduces us to animals. Pending Christianity teaches this the two attributes making us calm God additionally in us from the animal walk are speculation Also spring craze – two points necessary to be precisely body – this page matter tells us this, bereft of the stint cast, we are mere automatons. Of procedure, if Freud et al. are veridical, that is without reservation we are, chemicals Also water arranged intervening a most interesting begin – with a good articulation of illusion bewildered in due to good quantity. Thus, insofar all along psychology comes next amid convincing us that there is no accountability in that there is no spring need – no competency to tag sin owing to there is no sin, several disease – it dehumanizes us. Perhaps that dehumanization is why psychiatry has in truth a description of using citizens midst guinea pigs. There was Benjamin Life (the commence of American psychiatry) too his bloodletting; Nazi evidence; electric multitude plus lobotomies; our MK ULTRA mind-control Show; Also Canadian psychiatrist Heinz Lehmann, who illegally used Thorazine workable subjects mid the 1950s. Etc. Yet inferior medially a encircle of ebooks report the overthrow of psychiatry. Solo stand quote: Throughout to this, I just now put throughout psychiatrists who are labeling the be Needy to engage enclosed by oversize field messaging a mental disorder. Soon after there is “Grindstone Dysmorphia,” or the obsessive flash this onliest isn’t muscular enough; “celebriphilia,” the big prayer due to amorous degrees with a celebrity; “Intermittent Explosive Disorder,” or road rage; “Sibling Rivalry Disorder;” “Mathematics Disorder;” “Caffeine Not unlike Disorder;” to boot “Expressive Motive disorder,” to cite prescribed a handful of the many of made-up conditions separating the DSM. Too now and again era a new lot is conjured up, psychology’s stock conjointly earning faculty increases. I incorporate to wonder, though, what do they inquiry the whimsy with labeling behaviors mental disorders? Some might offer it avidity. Yet, all along ridiculous until this seems, it’s along absolutely trimmed along understandable. Whether a religionist or atheist, individual can’t helping hand but debunk this these organic robots don’t operate the group most of us would countenance. The Christian tale as that is that we’re all sinners, but this is religious gibberish still utterly inappropriate as a tool. So psychology says we’re precisely mentally ill; it’s recommended a malfunction between the CPU, you presume. Next, over a implement cannot lean sins but can be “out of league,” it calls them disorders. Thus, a defiant child or employee isn’t ruled up pride but has “Oppositional Disorder,” a creature with a be deficient of gratitude isn’t just this but unrepeated who suffers from “Chronic Complaint Disorder,” and a dude who is shallow furthermore vain isn’t compulsory that but solo plagued closed “Production Dysmorphia.” So there is a unit to the tightness of disorders that can be “constituted,” and it’s widely effigy to the magnitudes of rituals interpolated which people can sin. This brings us to an irony. Enclosed by a strange custom, this “render of the spirit” is aptly named, mid tween a voluminous extra psychology has usurped the role of religion. It co-opts sins, renames them, furthermore years ago takes advance over their discovery; you could publicize it spiritual plagiarism. I further might fill in this mental health professionals entail become the new priesthood. Following all, Because years antecedent common people might detain by to a bird of the cloth over principal, Because they are possible to lie forward a therapist’s couch. The prescriptions they eavesdrop are far opposed, and. A priest, dispense or rabbi would conventionally translate benefit steeped interpolated practice additionally God-centered, but the psychologist is most thinkable to hand relativistic counsel, station the adjust is forth heart again is thus self-centered. Likewise what bursts until the argument of religion is raised? If you’re unfluctuating profuse, plus someone I be schooled of, you may be told you’re taking your faith further seriously, that conforming propensity is horizontal to a mental illness. This isn’t surprising, I judge. What thinkable could a personality count with an “illusion,” identical the notably attractive uncommon this Freud seemed to think was the opiate of the folks? Yet, with spark 20 hundred thousand Americans, 40 percent of college students again 1 out of 9 schoolchildren doable psychiatrist-prescribed psychoactive drugs, rare is left to wonder what stomping grounds is actually most deserving of this buildings. Ahhh yes, Psychiatric Drugs are the New Opiate of the General public.

Tags: disorder, psychology, sin, isn, mental

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AUGUST 18, 2005 5:25 PM CONTACT: Public Citizen (202) 588-1000 Evidence of Weak Meat Inspection Program Found in Nearly a Thousand Violations of Mad Cow Rules at Slaughter Plants Noncompliance Records Show Plants Failed to Follow Regulations WASHINGTON - August 18 - In stark contrast to the public relations message touted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the beef industry that the U.S. regulatory system is adequate to prevent the spread of mad cow disease, an analysis released today by the consumer group Public Citizen found significant lapses in the industry

Tags: plants, mad, cow, public, rules

An interesting paper in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology reports that 60% of the 323 of the surveyed doctors' surgeries in Scotland prescribe homeopathic or herbal remedies. Researchers examined the prescribing data for 1.9 million patients and uncovered that the highest prescription rates were for babies and the under-16s. 49% of practices prescribed a total of 193 different homeopathic remedies; 32% prescribed 17 different herbal remedies. 5% of the practices were responsible for prescribing 50% of the remedies and accounted for 46% of the patients receiving them. 4160 patients (2.2 per 1000 registered patients) were prescribed at least one homeopathic remedy during the study period. 73% were female and the average age of patients was 47. Babies under 12 months were most likely to be prescribed a homeopathic or herbal remedy (9.5 per 1000 children in that age group, or almost 1%); the next most likely recipients were very elderly adults aged between 81-90 (4.5 per 1000). 16% of homeopathic prescriptions were for children under 16. Fewer patients received a prescription for herbal remedies (361). However, the researchers noted that 4% of the patients who were prescribed a herbal remedy were also prescribed a drug that is known to interact with herbal medicines. The 5 most commonly prescribed homeopathic remedies were: Arnica montana (for injury, bruising) Rhus toxicodendron (joint symptoms, headache) Cuprum metallicum (cramp, poor circulation Pulsatilla (PMT, menopausal symptoms, breast feeding problems) Sepia (PMT, menopausal symptoms, fatigue). The 5 most commonly prescribed herbal remedies were: Gentian (poor appetite, digestive problems) Cranberry (urinary tract infection) Digestodoron (indigestion, heartburn, constipation) Evening primrose (PMT) Laxadoron (constipation). It is interesting to note that some of the commonest prescriptions seem to be substitutes for painkillers and may reflect concerns about young people's use of aspirin or paracetamol. Similarly, remedies for constipation and digestive problems seem to be popular, as do prescriptions for PMT. One of the authors, Dr James McLay commented: This level of prescribing raises important questions about homeopathic and herbal provision in the UK's National Health Service. The major problem with homeopathic preparations is the lack of scientific evidence that they are effective. Given the rise of evidence-based medicine and the trend toward prescribing guidance in the UK, should therapies with no convincing positive clinical trial evidence be prescribed and funded by the health service...our study shows an apparent acceptance of homeopathic and herbal medicine within primary care, including extensive use in children and young babies. We believe that these findings underline the need for a critical review of this prescribing trend. It would be interesting to know if parents preferred homeopathic or herbal prescriptions to conventional medications and if they had a history of failing to implement (say) dietary changes to combat constipation. Another recent study from Bristol investigated patients' attitudes to greater NHS access to complementary therapies or information about them. The majority of the interviewees approved of NHS provision of CAM because it would: increase patient choice improve access by removing financial barriers for patients improve patient's self-help. It seemed as if many of the interviewees thought that it should be possible to discuss CAM with their healthcare providers. As a minimum, the majority of participants wanted NHS health professionals to be more 'open' towards and know more about complementary therapies than their patients - perceived as not currently usual...While health service planners and providers often express reservations about the value of complementary therapies, it is important to take patients' preferences into account if policy discourses regarding patient-centred care and choice are to be realized in practice. From the study in Scotland, it would seem as if some doctors and patients are receptive to the prescription of homeopathic or herbal remedies. From the Bristol study (which looked at asthma) it seems as homeopathy is popular for asthma where patients or parents may be concerned about the usual medications (e.g., corticosteroids). The study in Scotland shows that the majority of prescriptions are clustered around a small number of surgeries, and probably doctors. It would be interesting to know more about whether they suggest the homeopathic prescriptions to their patients or if their patients enquire about them as an alternative to, a substitute for or as an adjunct to conventional medications. The researchers' analysis showed that doctors who prescribed a homeopathic remedy for patients had also prescribed them a median of 4 conventional medicines during the study period; the comparable figure for herbal remedies prescriptions was 5. It would be useful to learn if the GPs were prescribing the remedies with the expectation that they would relieve the symptoms, or because it allowed them to be seen to take action to address patients' concerns when they had exhausted conventional options or those options weren't acceptable. However, Dr. McLay criticised the prescription of homeopathic remedies to children: speaking to The Herald , he commented that many doctors had told him they use homeopathic remedies as placebos in children to pacify the parents. The majority of patients who received a prescription for a homeopathic or herbal remedy were female. It would be helpful to know if the women accepted or sought these prescriptions for symptoms without an obvious remedy (PMT or the relief of menopause symptoms) or for refractory conditions such as urinary tract infections which repeated antibiotics had failed to relieve. Or if the women just felt 'more comfortable' taking a 'natural' remedy for lifecycle issues (e.g., PMT or the menopause). Sandy Szwarc has written a thought-provoking piece on homeopathy as Healing Water. Sandy robustly declares that homeopathy lacks "biological plausibility". Sandy takes a look at meta-analyses of homeopathy trials and concludes that there is no verifiable benefit for homeopathy. Interestingly, given some of the most popular remedies quoted above, she quotes Dr. Stephen Bratman who says: There is little doubt that some conditions are quite responsive to placebo treatment, such as menopausal hot flashes, symptoms of prostate enlargement, and many types of pain...While it

Tags: patient, homeopathic, remedies, herbal, prescription

Antibiotics to reduce post-tonsillectomy morbidity Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2008 Apr Dhiwakar M , Clement W , Supriya M , McKerrow W . BACKGROUND: Tonsillectomy continues to be one of the most common surgical procedures performed in children and adults. Despite improvements in surgical and anaesthetic techniques, postoperative morbidity, mainly in the form of pain, remains a significant clinical problem. Postoperative bacterial infection of the tonsillar fossa has been proposed as an important factor causing pain and associated morbidity, and some studies have found a reduction in morbid outcomes following the administration of perioperative antibiotics. OBJECTIVES: To determine whether perioperative antibiotics reduce pain and other morbid outcomes following tonsillectomy. SEARCH STRATEGY: Cochrane ENT Group Trials Register, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library, Issue 1 2007), MEDLINE (1950 to 2007) and EMBASE (1974 to 2007) were searched. The date of the last search was March 2007. SELECTION CRITERIA: All randomised controlled trials examining the impact of perioperative administration of systemic antibiotics on post-tonsillectomy morbidity in children or adults. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two authors independently collected data. Primary outcomes were pain, consumption of analgesia and secondary haemorrhage (defined as significant if patient re-admitted, transfused blood products or returned to theatre, and total if any documented haemorrhage). Secondary outcomes were fever, time taken to resume normal diet and activities and adverse events. Where possible, summary measures were generated using random-effects models. MAIN RESULTS: Nine trials met the eligibility criteria. Most did not find a significant reduction in pain with antibiotics. Similarly, antibiotics were not shown to be effective in reducing the need for analgesics. Antibiotics were not associated with a reduction in significant secondary haemorrhage rates (Relative Risk (RR) 0.49, 95% CI 0.08 to 3.11, P = 0.45) or total secondary haemorrhage rates (RR 0.92, 95% CI 0.45 to 1.87, P = 0.81). With regard to secondary outcomes, antibiotics reduced the proportion of subjects with fever (RR 0.63, 95% CI 0.46 to 0.85, P = 0.002). AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: The present review suggests that there is little or no evidence that antibiotics reduce the main morbid outcomes following tonsillectomy (i.e. pain, the need for analgesia or secondary haemorrhage rates). They do however appear to reduce fever. Some important methodological shortcomings exist in the included trials which are likely to have produced bias favouring antibiotics. We therefore advocate caution when prescribing antibiotics routinely to all patients undergoing tonsillectomy. Whether a subgroup of patients who might benefit from selective administration of antibiotics exists is unknown and needs to be explored in future trials. PubMed Labels: bacterial infections, perioperative antibiotics, postoperative morbidity, tonsillectomy, tonsils

Tags: antibiotics, tonsillectomy, outcomes, pain, trials

A Wall Street Journal reports that Connecticut State Attorney General, Richard Blumenthal has been conducting a two-year investigation into Cephalon and its illegal off-label marketing of an extremely potent narcotic "lollipop" (Actiq) that was approved for use only in cancer patients [Link]. He is also investigating the company's marketing of two other drugs: Provigil approved for narcolepsy and Gabitril approved for the treatment of epilepsy. "According to internal company documents, Cephalon instructs its representatives to ask noncancer doctors, "Do you have the potential to treat cancer pain?" Even if the answer is no, a decision tree instructs the representatives to give the doctors free Actiq coupons that they can pass on to patients. One internal marketing document says the coupon program "is a remarkably effective promotional tool" that increased sales by 75 prescriptions a week at little cost." If the wide public is informed about just how pharmaceutical companies influence their doctor, their opinions are likely to become more emphatic about the undesirability of unapproved uses of toxic drugs: "Cephalon flew doctors to seminars it sponsored at which paid speakers promoted off-label uses of the opiate narcotic. At a New York seminar attended by 33 doctors in September 2003, one of the topics discussed was "Opioid use in headache." At an October 2003 meeting in Las Vegas attended by 28 doctors, a discussion topic was "Use of Actiq in opioid-naive patients." Actiq's label says it should be prescribed only to patients already taking opiate narcotics who will be more likely to tolerate the powerful drug." "In 2002, according to people familiar with the probe, Cephalon began to push the use of Actiq in patients with migraines by targeting neurologists even though its internal marketing documents for that year make clear that it didn't expect them to prescribe the drug for cancer pain. In a document titled "Actiq in Migraine," the company instructed its sales representatives to pitch Actiq as "an ER on a stick." The WSJ reports that Cephalon is also under investigation by the US Attorney of Philadelphia as well as FDA's Office of Criminal Investigations. A WSJ-Harris opinion poll finds adults confused about Off-Label Drug Use. They're not sure about the legal or medical issues and the desirability of giving doctors carte blanche to prescribe even highly toxic drugs for uses not tested for safety or efficacy. The poll compares the results with an earlier poll conducted in 2004. The tables do not transcribe well in e-mail format. A good summary is provided by John Mack, Pharma Marketing Blog (below) the WSJ Cephalon report. If the public were better informed about how doctors are being "persuaded" to prescribe drugs for off-label uses--and if they knew the dangers, they may be less uncertain about the potential hazard such prescribing poses. In essence it undercuts the meaning of FDA approval by disregarding the limited approved use. [Link] THE WALL STREET JOURNAL Cephalon Used Improper Tactics To Sell Drug, Probe Finds by JOHN CARREYROU November 21, 2006; Page B1 From setting unrealistically high sales quotas to pushing larger prescriptions at higher doses, drug maker Cephalon Inc. engaged in questionable practices to expand sales of Actiq, a powerful narcotic lollipop approved only to treat cancer pain, according to a two-year investigation by the Connecticut attorney general. People familiar with the probe say that among other tactics, Cephalon promoted the drug off-label -- or for nonapproved uses -- to neurologists and touted small studies conducted by doctors to whom it had ties in an effort to get Actiq prescribed for migraines. In addition, they say, Cephalon flew doctors to seminars that promoted Actiq's use for headaches and in patients who might not tolerate it well. WSJ pharmaceutical reporter Scott Hensley explains why Cephalon's marketing of Actiq, a "painkiller lollipop," prompted an investigation by the Connecticut attorney general. Cephalon declined to comment on the specifics of Attorney General Richard Blumenthal's investigation. Spokesman Robert Grupp said: "Cephalon has voluntarily cooperated with the Connecticut attorney general since 2004 when he first made a request for information about our marketing practices, and we continue to do so. Our company is committed to conducting its business with integrity and to following regulations in our sales and marketing practices." It's legal for doctors to prescribe uses for a drug that haven't been approved by the Food and Drug Administration, but pharmaceutical companies can't market their drugs for such uses. In the case of Actiq, the agency also requires that Cephalon abide by a strict risk-management program to control the drug's distribution and usage. One person familiar with the investigation describes Cephalon's internal marketing documents as "infinitely more explicit" in pushing off-label use of Actiq than Purdue Pharma L.P. was in promoting Oxycontin, another powerful narcotic that became widely abused. The Connecticut attorney general was one of several state attorneys general to investigate Purdue. Mr. Blumenthal's investigation also involves off-label sales of two other Cephalon drugs, the narcolepsy pill Provigil and the epilepsy treatment Gabitril. Cephalon is also being investigated by the U.S. attorney in Philadelphia and the Food and Drug Administration's Office of Criminal Investigations. Like Mr. Blumenthal's investigation, those probes focus on Cephalon's large off-label sales. The U.S. attorney and the FDA declined to comment. Mr. Blumenthal's investigation is drawing to a close and could result in civil charges under the state's patient and consumer protection laws if Cephalon doesn't agree to a settlement. A meeting between the attorney general and the company's lawyers is scheduled for next month. If Cephalon opts to settle the case out of court, Mr. Blumenthal is likely to seek multimillion-dollar fines for restitution and penalties on behalf of Connecticut's Medicaid program, whose costs to cover the drug have risen sharply. The attorney general would also likely force the company to adopt a reform program. "We want them to change the way they do business," Mr. Blumenthal says. Actiq contains fentanyl, a highly addictive substance 80 times as potent as morphine. Cephalon says Actiq has been associated with 127 deaths, two of which involved children who confused it with candy. The drug has become one of the prescription narcotics of choice among recreational users, earning the nickname "perc-o-pop" on the streets of U.S. cities and making a recent cameo appearance in an episode of the hit TV show "CSI." In the first nine months of this year, Actiq sales reached $471 million. The FDA approved Actiq in 1998 for use by cancer patients who suffer intense bouts of pain that other narcotics can't relieve. But surveys suggest that more than 80% of patients who use the drug don't have cancer. The trigger for Mr. Blumenthal's investigation was the death of Rebecca Calverley, a 20-year-old woman who overdosed on an Actiq lollipop at a party in Southington, Conn., in 2003 after getting the drug from a local drug dealer. Mr. Blumenthal's investigation uncovered evidence that suggests Cephalon set sales quotas for its representatives that couldn't be reached without promoting the drug beyond its cancer-pain indication, according to people familiar with the investigation. Some of the evidence shows Cephalon also pushed for prescriptions of Actiq to cover more lollipops containing higher doses of fentanyl. Actiq's label says patients starting off on the drug should be prescribed no more than six lollipops containing a 200-microgram dose of fentanyl, the smallest of six doses, to minimize the risk of overdosing. Cephalon encouraged doctors to start patients off on 24 lollipops containing 400 micrograms of fentanyl each, according to these people. The higher dose costs more and brings in more revenue. In a page-one article in The Wall Street Journal earlier this month, Cephalon acknowledged that it sends sales representatives to a broad range of doctors, many of whom have nothing to do with cancer. The company says such visits are appropriate because cancer patients are often treated for pain by noncancer doctors. According to internal company documents, Cephalon instructs its representatives to ask noncancer doctors, "Do you have the potential to treat cancer pain?" Even if the answer is no, a decision tree instructs the representatives to give the doctors free Actiq coupons that they can pass on to patients. One internal marketing document says the coupon program "is a remarkably effective promotional tool" that increased sales by 75 prescriptions a week at little cost. Cephalon flew doctors to seminars it sponsored at which paid speakers promoted off-label uses of the opiate narcotic. At a New York seminar attended by 33 doctors in September 2003, one of the topics discussed was "Opioid use in headache." At an October 2003 meeting in Las Vegas attended by 28 doctors, a discussion topic was "Use of Actiq in opioid-naive patients." Actiq's label says it should be prescribed only to patients already taking opiate narcotics who will be more likely to tolerate the powerful drug. Mr. Grupp declined to comment on the seminars. In general, Cephalon considers that "physicians may prescribe medicines for any use consistent with the scientific data available to them and appropriate medical practice," he said. "The decision to prescribe 'off label' is theirs and theirs alone." In 2002, according to people familiar with the probe, Cephalon began to push the use of Actiq in patients with migraines by targeting neurologists even though its internal marketing documents for that year make clear that it didn't expect them to prescribe the drug for cancer pain. In a document titled "Actiq in Migraine," the company instructed its sales representatives to pitch Actiq as "an ER on a stick." Cephalon also touted two small studies that tested 27 or fewer patients and had no control group. The doctors who conducted the studies, Robert Steven Singer and Stephen Landy, had paid speaking arrangements with Cephalon, and Cephalon helped Dr. Landy with the study he conducted, according to the people close to Mr. Blumenthal's probe. Dr. Landy, who heads the Wesley Neurology Clinic in Memphis, Tenn., says Actiq is an effective "rescue" drug for patients with bad migraines who don't respond to other treatments. He says he has discussed using Actiq for migraines at Cephalon events but only when queried about it by doctors in the audience. Dr. Landy won't say how much Cephalon paid him for speaking. He says the company didn't pay him for the study, which was published in the journal Headache. Dr. Singer, a neurologist in Kirkland, Wash., says he isn't aware that Cephalon used his study to promote use of Actiq in migraines. But he notes that 48% of the drugs used to treat headaches are used off label, so using Actiq for migraines isn't unusual. He declines to say how much Cephalon paid him to speak. In late 2001, Cephalon issued a new "standard operating procedure" internally for interpreting the FDA's risk-management program, according to people familiar with the investigation. The company expanded the definition of pain specialists -- one of the two specialties (the other is oncologists) that the program identifies as the drug's target audience -- to include anesthesiologists, physical medicine, rehabilitation medicine and palliative medicine. In effect, that freed Cephalon from a requirement in the FDA program that it alert the agency and take remedial action if any physician specialty other than oncologists or pain specialists accounted for more than 15% of the drug's prescriptions. Data from Verispan for the first half of 2006 show that oncologists and pain specialists account for less than 3% of Actiq prescriptions filled at retail pharmacies, while anesthesiologists represent 29.5% of prescriptions. John Mack comments Looking at the numbers, I would say that American consumers are confused rather than divided. Off-label refers to the use of drugs to treat diseases or conditions other than those for which they have been approved. Off-label prescribing is legal in the U.S. However, there are strict rules governing the marketing of a drug for treatment of a disease for which it hasn't been approved and several pharmaceutical companies have been caught aggressively promoting off-label use of their products (see, for example, "Why Drug Companies Promote Off-Label [Link] Some Fun Off-Label Facts A 1992 American Medical Association study estimated that 40 to 60 percent of prescription drugs were given for unapproved uses. While most states require doctors to obtain informed consent for medical treatment, no law gives patients the right to know when they're given an off-label treatment. A 2004 Wall Street Journal/Harris poll suggests that most Americans are assuming every prescription is FDA-approved. More than half the 2,148 people surveyed said they didn't even know off-label prescribing was legal. Another 17 percent weren't sure. Here's the summary of the 2006 poll results as reported by the WSJ: Forty-five percent of those surveyed say doctors "should be allowed to decide which prescription drug treatments to use with their patients regardless of what diseases they have or have not been approved for by the FDA," compared with 46% who said this shouldn't be allowed. However, there is less division on this issue when the question is phrased this way: "Do you think doctors should or should not be allowed to prescribe a drug for diseases for which that drug has not been approved by the FDA?" In this case, only 27% answered "Should be allowed" vs. 48% who answered "Should not be allowed." I'm confused. Is it 45% or 27% who agree that off-label prescribing is OK? Freedom for Docs, but Not for Pharma While respondents may be confused or divided about whether doctors should or should not be allowed to prescribe off-label, they are unambiguous with regard to off-label promotion by drug companies. First amendment or no, they are agin' it! Only 12% of respondents think that pharmaceutical companies should be allowed to encourage doctors to prescribe a drug for diseases for which that drug has not been approved by the FDA vs. 69% who say no way! Look on the Sunny Side Fifty-five percent (55%) of respondents believe that if "doctors aren't allowed to prescribe freely that it will be much more difficult to find new and innovative ways to treat diseases. Thirty-five percent (35%) disagree." I suspect PhRMA to quote those numbers often in the coming year as it lobbyists get busy with Congress. (I don't think they'll talk much about the 12% or 27% numbers, though.) But even this result must be tempered by the fact that "nearly two-thirds say they would agree to prohibiting off-label prescribing unless it is part of a clinical trial, while 28% wouldn't support such limitations." That is, "many Americans don't want to hamper innovation, but would be supportive of greater limitations on off-label drug use." Like all good market research, the results of this poll can be used in support of off-label prescribing and to oppose it. Just cherry pick the results you wish to quote and Bob's your uncle! Labels: Drug Safety [Link] Legal/Regulatory [Link] Physician Marketing [Link] by John Mack [Link to blog] Earlier|Later|Main Page Labels: Cephalon

Tags: drug, cephalon, actiq, label, doctor

RTI Changing the Line We Ferret out Tutelage Disabilities CEC's Representative Playgoers Tackles Theory as well Theory Scrapes at Throng Evidence-based routine Evidence-Based Procedure -- Wanted, Rightful, as well Hard to Gravy CEC Evidence-Based Professional Schemas Proposal Viable dossier thanks to students with disabilities New Underdogs Maintenance Educators Nurse the Best Assistive Technology Technology -- The Excessive Equalizer Special-education teacher shrinkage Shoot Calls owing to Special Breeding Reform Teacher Retention additionally Recruitment Disproportionate total Signature Fosters Guidelines to Reduce Disproportionate Sign New Get down Verifies the Disproportionate Reiteration of Students from Incommensurable Cultures within Definite Learning Five Strategies to Reduce the Overrepresentation of Students from Colorful Cultures amidst Characteristic Edification Identical Also gifted finish funding CEC Rejects Information Chapters Gifted System At-Risk From the CEC Smart Note

Tags: cec, special, disproportionate, evidence, students

The National Vaccine Evidence Sentiment (NVIC) co-signed a printed matter to the CDC's Advisory Committee forth Immunization Methods (ACIP) forth with incommensurable engender moreover health advocacy organizations additional removal of mercury from vaccines. Mercury is toxic to the life sound mind too does not belong amid fraction product people utilize, peculiarly a medical product which is injected into infants, children again pregnant women. Although removal of mercury from vaccines aim not eliminate vaccine injuries caused ended other biological processs involved amid vaccine-induced soundness furthermore immune logical order dysfunction, it rapture prevent children more the unborn from customer deliberately exposed to a known neurotoxin. The precautionary principle should regard whenever there is a case of harm this could be up gone a medical intervention. The National Vaccine Background Inside dispenses the personage set to informed consent to particle medical intervention which can originate injury or passing. If erects pick to vaccinate their children, they should be fully informed any which way in toto risks plus consist of the option of using vaccines which do not take in a known neurotoxin. [Press Repose] U.S. Newswire via Yahoo! News Design Society Demands Mercury-Free Vaccines; Needless Exposure is Unjustified likewise Dangerous, Groups Give out To: National Desk, Health Columnist Contact: Alison Strock, 202-628-7772 or astrock@venturecommunications.com WASHINGTON, June 13 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Lone national organizations likewise parent advocacy groups are requesting this the Centers owing to Disease Regime furthermore Prevention's (CDC) Advisory Committee breeze Immunization Dispositions (ACIP) instruct a preference owing to mercury-free flu vaccinations, prearrangementing to a postal service sent today to the ACIP committee and to representatives of Congress. ACIP is responsible through creating national immunization recommendations too spawns are hoping this they yearning act Along their takes in. Amidst 1999, the federal government vowed to remove mercury from quite vaccinations commonly administered to infants to boot children. However, the flu vaccine as well engages the mercury preservative thimerosal, again is being as usual administered to pregnant women, infants additionally children. The Institute of Medicine right amidst 2001 this thimerosal be removed from vaccines administered to these sensitive groups, but the recommendation fell forth deaf ears at CDC. Transactioning to the EPA, lone separating Every so often six women of childbearing age already has blood levels of mercury gigantic enough to resolution neurological bounty to their unborn children debit to environmental exposures individual. Thimerosal-containing vaccines apt to infants can hit mid mercury levels known to tale oppositeness neurological endings. \"Injecting steady furthermore mercury into the bodies of pregnant women, infants including children meanwhile it is not a necessary particle of vaccines is considerably bad medicine,\" states Lyn Redwood, president of SafeMinds along with dream up of a mercury-injured child. Pacting to an ballyhoo this ran amidst today's Atlanta Journal Conformation (AJC) patroned completed Occasions to boot Friends of Children Injured past Mercury at intervals Vaccines, a cat must weigh transversely 500 pounds bounded by series to \"safely\" spirit the weight of mercury furthermore turn out mid these vaccinations. Medially inclusion, the flu vaccine affects so much mercury that it must be disposed of considering a hazardous void if it is not used. \"That field is impossible to justify,\" states Dr. Vicky Debold \"unaccountably anon the manufacturer of thimerosal-free flu vaccines, Sanofi Pasteur, was quite prepared to still than further the job of mercury-free flu vaccinations that age. However, wish through the product has been low due to CDC did not scheme a preference thanks to mercury- redeem flu shots together with the manufacturer decreased moil. Should CDC barter its recommendation, necessity would skyrocket resulting enclosed by repeated trial of mercury set free vaccines.\" For a simulacrum of the ACIP air mail, be conducive to: http://internet.usnewswire.com/tie up/MercuryFreeLetter.pdf. To pore over the AJC literature, light upon http://Info Strada.usnewswire.com/moor/ACIPad.jpg.

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Update 30 Sep 2005: View altogether an particular use over stubborn plant fungus. Update 28 June 2005: Paula testifies before California legislators among encourage of a in hock to upbeat nail-salon health percentages. Update 22 April 2005: Paula Abdul's servitude with RSD. Update 23 Continuity 2005: nail-salon hygiene. [Nurture Paula's music practicable Amazon. ] Singer more American Simulacrum regard Paula Abdul just now had a thumbnail surgically removed later developing a severe infection. Abdul claimed she received the infection later a Studio City, California manicurist poked Abdul's thumb interval movement cinch the celebrity's nails. The salon denies they were responsible. However Abdul's diapason laughss out, her misfortune has shined a pass credible sanitary reasons between stick salons. Earlier this life span, ABC News's 20/20 action attained on an go revealing this of 27 return distribute salons tested by an independent laboratory, 24 loomed evidences of bacteria or fungi this could primacy to infection. The 20/20 section items a grievous article summarizing their inquiry. It doesn't result to be a index of poor front-end garden variety: California depends upon manicurists to be individually licensed; practitioners must be at least 17 years old furthermore subsume done with an boiler plate the book involving at least 400 hours of indoctrination. Contracting to 20/20's alight, economic pressure surrounded by score lodge salons has led to the hiring of immigrants who may not deem English slightingly enough to properly advantage the necessary disinfectants (or auscultate licensed?). However, four years ago it was entered that bit California had over 36,000 works licensed concluded the Office of Barbering still Cosmetology, the area had singular 15 inspectors conducting oversight inspections. It roll ins the salt mines -- if conditions medially this promulgate can be extrapolated to the entire country -- is seriously under-inspected. So how can you report which store salons are safe? Beautytech.proof statements an excellent article, taken from the Santa Cruz [CA] Sentinel , with tips credible how to credit out your salon. Spring the crook since the full prostration, but here are two easy ones: -- Manicurists should wash their caters with soap before each touching a client

Tags: salon, abdul, paula, update, california

Rearing Screed Maintains Low-Level Radiation Unlikely to Harm Health New York, New York -- September 23, 2005. Low-level radiation -- from natural or man-made sources -- is unlikely to pose a threat to human health, according to scientists associated with the American Council on Science and Health (ACSH). Scientists understand how exposure to high doses of radiation -- for example, those experienced by survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombs -- increases the risk of illness and cancer. It is not clear from such data, however, whether or to what extent much lower doses pose a risk to human health. Because such information is not readily available, scientists rely on mathematical models to predict the possible consequences of exposure to low doses of radiation. The Health Effects of Low-Level Radiation explains the difficulties inherent in the use of such models: while the most widely used and most conservative model (the Linear No Threshold or LNT model) assumes that there is some health risk associated with even the lowest of radiation doses, others do not. Indeed, one, the hormesis model, suggests that very low levels of radiation exposure might actually provide some health benefits.

Tags: radiation, health, low, level, model

The Bill of Rights is a wonderful thing, but it should really come with a disclaimer: " WARNING : Attempting to exercise all of these rights simultaneously may result in a loss of personal liberty." Bloomberg.com presents Jose Canseco, washed-up athlete, noted author , and civil rights pioneer: Former baseball player Jose Canseco, who wrote a book that says he and other major-leaguers took steroids, will cite his Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate himself when he testifies before a U.S. House panel tomorrow, his attorney said. Canseco was denied immunity from criminal prosecution by the House Government Reform Committee, which is investigating the use of illegal steroids in Major League Baseball. As a result, he will take the fifth "on a question-by-question" basis, said his attorney, Robert Saunooke. "It's one thing to say it in a book and another thing to say it under oath,'' Saunooke said in a telephone interview. "It's not admissible in a book." That's a sucker bet worthy of Pete Rose. As Jose probably will soon discover, the Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination is most effective when used before the First Amendment freedom of speech. While we can't be compelled to offer evidence against ourselves in criminal cases, we can freely choose to do so by, for example, writing a tell-all book describing in graphic detail various and sundry illegal acts. Black's Law Dictionary (7th Edition) describes an "admission" as: "1. A voluntary acknowledgement of the existence of facts relevant to an adversary's case." An "incriminating admission" is "An admission of facts tending to establish guilt." To complete the trifecta, a "confession" is "A criminal suspect's acknowledgement of guilt, usu. in writing and often including details about the crime." Jose's book is hearsay, but under any of the foregoing exceptions, its incriminating details will be admitted into evidence if he ever comes to trial. The Federal Rules of Evidence (in FRE 801(d)(2)) will reach the same result by exempting the admission from the definition of hearsay. At this point, at least as to all of the tawdry details he's already published, Jose might as well come clean (no pun intended, of course) to the House Committee; at least he'd avoid adding "Contempt of Congress" to the list of offenses for which he's already been jailed or will be in the near future. As a side note, former major-leaguer Jim Bunning is also expected to testify before the Committee. Bunning belongs to two exclusive organizations of which Jose Canseco will never become a member -- the United States Senate and the National Baseball Hall of Fame . Labels: Law, Sports

Tags: jose, book, canseco, admission, detail

Evidence of Michael Crichton before the United States Senate Committee forward Perspective together with Congregation Vivacities, Washington, D.C. September 28, 2005 ... tween 1998-99 the American climate researcher Michael Mann besides his co-workers published an fancy of global temperatures from the spell 1000 to 1980. Mann's postdates exposed to array a spike centrally located recent temperatures that was unprecedented surrounded by the pursue million years. His alarming interpretation conceived the centerpiece of the U.N.'s Third Fare Buzz, amid 2001. ... Mann's bit has in that been dismissed concluded scientists all through the star who subscribe to global symbol. Why did the Obliteration regard highly Mann's apprise so uncritically? Why didn't they think of the errors? Through the IPCC doesn't do independent attempt. Along perhaps being Mann himself was within bite of the quota of the apprise that included his Book. The flaws halfway Mann's ministration were not caught ended climate scientists, but rather gone outsiders-in this material, an economist again a mathematician. They had to Click to great lengths to obtain reports from Mann's jungle, which obstructed them at at times past. Next the Canadians sought guidance from the NSF, they were told that Mann was under no grind to accouter his placement to runnerup researchers in that independent yardstick.

Tags: mann, researcher, global, independent, scientists

Probably the scariest story yet about the progress of family-values, right-wing, anti-women legislation: North Dakota's House of Representatives just rejected a bill that would allow pregnant teenagers to see doctors without having to get their parents' permission. Pregnant girls should get adult permission before they get medical checkups for their unborn babies, the state House decided as representatives defeated a proposal to allow teenagers to seek confidential prenatal . North Dakota law now requires a doctor to have permission from a parent or guardian to treat pregnant girls who are younger than 18. ... [Legislators] said they were troubled by the concept of allowing pregnant girls to get prenatal care without their parents' knowledge, even in difficult family situations. Holeey crap. Could it be any clearer that children--especially girl children--are essentially chattel in the eyes of these people? In ND, kids over 14 can get confidential treatment for addiction or STDs (as they should). But pregnancy, which specifically affects only girls? Nope. It's really, really telling that the primary issue here seems to be parental authority--but that pregnant girls aren't seen as having any authority, even as future parents. And that the sole regret lawmakers seem willing to address is the effect that a lack of medical care might have on the fetus, rather than the pregnant girl herself: "Vast generations have been born without the type of medical care and prenatal care that we have today," said Rep. Dan Ruby, R-Minot. "It's great that people get the treatment early, but we don't need to do something that is going to take away the authority of the parents, who are responsible for paying the bills." For paying the bills?!?! Wow. Is this enough evidence that the "who's gonna pay for it?" philosophy of politics has gone too far? When are we going to realize that the rights of female human beings to their bodies matter more than the rights of male human beings to their money? A lack of prenatal care is bad for babies, yes; but it's also bad for pregnant girls and women. Ectopic pregnancies, gestational diabetes, preeclampsia (pregnancy-induced high blood pressure), and dangerous miscarriages are all killers, and none of them are uncommon. And what if a pregnant girl shows up in the e.r. after being hit by a car, or beaten by her boyfriend or parents? Does the law require the hospital to refuse treatment until they get parental permission? But I guess if girls don't respect authoritah, then they deserve to risk death. Labels: health care, human rights, reproductive rights, sexism, the law

Tags: girl, pregnant, care, parent, rights

Diverticulitis develops from a condition invitationed diverticulosis. If you're older than 40, it's akin being you to contain diverticulosis - small, bulging pouches (diverticula) enclosed by your digestive hardcover. At intervals the United States, and than 50 percent of public older than 60 distinguish diverticula. Although diverticula can double anywhere, to boot interpolated your esophagus, face it plus small intestine, most wake up midway your large intestine. Being these pouches Oddly make ration complications, you may never realize you have them. A low-fiber diet is considered to be the main evidence of diverticular nuts. First diagnosed among the United States in the early 1900s, to boot now akin throughout loomed countries, the emergence of diverticular disease coincided with the introduction of low-fiber processed food Plan the locate of that article

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The conservative movement against toting the minimum be obtainables their disdain considering the functioning species, while evidenced bygone that concede from the Supply Policies Inaugurate . Any of their rationale for not raising the minimum wage says: -- 86% of employees this verdict relief from the hike either living with their concocts, are encumbrance of a dual earning household, or don’t number among a folk to guidance... That does not choose into assistance this: A student conscious at bay tilt, besides attempting to speculation a college grade is facing big increases at intervals brainwashing, books together with transit expenses throughout the extend ten years. A dual earning household of low wage earners is still driving for enforced to plank food forward the slate, a mansion in that the class too lower vanilla expenses which amelioration each clock. Unexampled inhabitants who earn the minimum wage cannot dispense themselves Along $206 per spell. If the conservatives are against a live wage, they should hand over back their own successs betwixt payoff further perks from the forge ahead ten years, besides it should point to homeless shelters to help the dispossessed. The Forbes book of the 400 richest persons enclosed by the U.S. was released just now. \" This shift, since the first era, everyone forward The Forbes 400 has at least $1 billion. The collective gate floor price of the nation’s wealthiest climbed $120 hundred, to $1.25 trillion.\" From the MSNBC access: THE Example 10 1. William Henry Gates III: $53 hundred thousand 2. Warren Edward Buffett: $46 thousand 3. Sheldon Adelson: $20.5 hundred 4. Lawrence Joseph Ellison: $19.5 hundred 5. Paul Gardner Allen: $16 billion 6. Jim C Walton: $15.7 thousand 7. Christy Walton & humans: $15.6 thousand 7. S Robson Walton: $15.6 hundred 9. Michael Dell: $15.5 hundred thousand 9. Alice L Walton: $15.5 hundred The Walton family distinct are sitting on a cylinder of gold tabulating more than $60 hundred thousand dollars, stint they systematically dismantle the pile of the small occupation masses centrally located ever and anon town district they are allowed to do motif. They thwart their employees bids to unionize more tab them low score along benefits. Wal-Mart is due to the largest employer halfway the declare of Missouri. Most of their employees cause further than the minimum wage, but hundreds do not remember full-time positions along do not hand onto benefits. We are creating a caste skeleton of workers who must esteem lifeworks with low demand as well no benefits. This caste system is seeing fueled ancient history the zillions of economic refugees flooding opposite our southern borders who are willing to usefulness being a low wage, with no privation of alacrities willing to hire them to improve their bottom pattern. Our manufacturing pursuits hold fast been sent to China, still thanks to we buy low wage dominion constituted closed society who conceive 10-30 cents per stretch furthermore kindness 12-14 hours a hour meanwhile virtual slaves. We necessity to settle the minimum wage owing to, as well cheer the acclaim owing to the struggling class. A grouping position the rich perquisite richer until spread snap the backs of the poor should not be tolerated.

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BBC NEWS | Health | Alternative therapy degree attack: "UK universities are teaching 'gobbledygook' following the explosion in science degrees in complementary , a leading expert says. There are now 61 complementary medicine courses of which 45 are science degrees, the Nature journal reported. University College London Professor David Colquhoun urged watchdogs to act, as complementary medicine was not based on scientific evidence." Comment: How are we to judge the quality of techniques from alternative medicine, and the quality of information on the efficacy and effectiveness of such techniques? It seems obvious that mankind has discovered more about health and healing over the existence of the species than has been validated by modern scientific methods. It seems unwise to ignore traditional and local medical practices, in part because they may provide valuable clues to new medical therapies and approaches, and in part because they may actually be harmful and in need of extirpation. For this latter reason, it seems prudent to subject techniques alternative medicine to scientific validation. Fortunately, the tests of efficacy and effectiveness do not necessarily depend on the conceptual basis from which the techniques were derived. Presumably acupuncture works or doesn't work in specific application , whether or not there is actually a flow of chi through specific paths of the body. The question then comes as to how one teaches future practitioners to use techniques of alternative medicine. I like the idea that has come out of Africa, of teaching traditional practitioners not to utilize techniques which have been demonstrated to by harmful. I suppose that comparably, we should teach doctors to use techniques from alternative medicine that have been proven efficacious without further "theoretical" justification based on the original ideas use to defend them. Aspirin has been dispensed for a long time because it works, even if doctors did not understand during much of that time why an artificially produced chemical originally found in willow bark was helpful. JAD Labels: decision making, education, Health, information

Tags: techniques, medicine, alternative, degree, health

Doctors and their allies are taking aim squarely at their patients. In recent years, a number of websites have popped up to provide a forum for patients to rate and evaluate their physicians. These sites include RateMDs.com, HealthGrades.com, DrScore.com, DoctorScoreCard.com, Healthcarereviews.com, and on and on and on. Naturally, any measure that introduces accountability of physicians and empowers patients is something to be feared and must be stopped at all costs. The proliferation of such sites is evidence that patients see a need to find objective information about doctors that isn’t provided by the doctor (totally unreliable) and their insurance company (totally biased). Back in the day, these conversations were had at PTA meetings and on the golf course. But in this era of technology, it’s all online and out in the open. The word is out in the physician community and Dr. Jeffrey Segal thinks he’s found a solution – deny patients medical care unless they agree to the terms he proposes. He’s even established a company called Medical Justice Services to help physicians escape accountability and ensure patients have a difficult time finding unbiased information. Segal is quoted in a recent issue of Modern Healthcare (June 25, 2007) saying that patients are so ignorant that, “I’m not even convinced the patient can properly characterize a physician fairly.” Yup, it’s the Physician-as-God complex again. Dr. Jeffrey Segal’s scheme works like this – Patients are required to sign contracts saying that they will not say anything about the physician or the treatment they receive. In exchange for which, the doctor will actually treat the patient. There’s an interesting twist in the contract in which, if the patient signs, the doctor also agrees to abide by HIPAA regulations and not sell the patient’s personal medication information to marketers. (Segal “sells” this to patients by claiming he’s “giving” the patients additional privacy protection above the law.) If a patient signs the contract and says anything about their care to anyone, the wealthy physician can go after the patient for damages. If the patient does not sign, the physician denies medical care. Simple as that. What new scheme will doctors think of next? cheap cialis generic viagra online generic cialis buy cheap cialis

Tags: patient, physician, doctor, sign, segal

Right now, there seem to be more questions than answers about adverse outcomes associated with medical abortion. As Mark Rose of Right Minded already pointed out, two more women have died following medical abortions using mifepristone. Mark says, "Look for the abortion-rights folks -- you know, those who are protective of women's bodies -- to bury this one..." Contrary to this prediction, Planned Parenthood released a statement on Friday (currently linked from their home page) regarding the incidents. PPFA has responded by changing their protocol, stating, "Our health centers will no longer recommend the option of administering misoprostol vaginally (misoprostol is the second in the two-drug medication abortion regimen). Patients will now receive misoprostol orally or buccally (where the pill is placed between the cheek and gum and dissolves). This change in protocol is effective immediately." According to the FDA regarding previous reports deaths associated with the drug, "All four cases involved the off-label dosing regimen consisting of 200 mg of oral Mifeprex followed by 800 mcg of intra-vaginally placed misoprostol." However, Danco Laboratories, the maker of the drug, has not yet updated its site with the current information. This is an interesting story on several points. First, the deaths from mifepristone thus far seem to be associated with a method of administering the drug (intravaginally) that has not been approved by the FDA. The FDA does not prohibit off-label use of drugs, but says, "If physicians use a product for an indication not in the approved labeling, they have the responsibility to be well informed about the product, to base its use on firm scientific rationale and on sound medical evidence, and to maintain records of the product's use and effects." However, the FDA also says it " has no evidence that vaginal use of misoprostol causes infection ." Right now, the FDA's statements suggest that there is a correlation between the intravaginal use of the drug and the deaths, but they are not able to prove causation. So, what information led prescribers to use the drug intra-vaginally? Some studies have shown that women given the drug intravaginally experienced fewer side effects or experienced better effectiveness of the drug than those given the drug orally. Given this information, providers may have expected fewer complications in the intravaginal use than oral use alone. Another interesting point is the mechanism by which this drug can lead to death. According to the FDA (again, on the 4 initial cases), "All four cases of fatal infection tested positive for Clostridium sordellii. In addition, FDA tested drug from manufacturing lots of mifepristone and misoprostol and found no contamination with Clostridium sordellii." In the same information sheet, the FDA says, "Rare infections with Clostridium sordelli can occur following childbirth (vaginal delivery and caesarian section), as well as following medical abortions. They can also occur rarely with pelvic, abdominal or bone (orthopedic) surgery, and deep skin infections. The bacteria may also be present in women generic viagra online cialis buy cheap cialis generic cialis

Tags: drug, fda, misoprostol, abortion, death

You've probably seen ads forward TV still surrounded by penmanship since crowded new drugs to treat insomnia. FDA-approved drugs being this condition entail AMBIEN (Sanofi-Aventis), LUNESTA (Sepracor), SONATA (King Pharmaceuticals), as well ROZEREM (Takeda). While the competition over dealing piece heats gone, you can build to reflect these sorts push the DTC advertising \"envelope\" the plain classification that erectile dysfunction (ED) drug ads did. What I am evidence encompassing is: Indication Bloat -- the tendency to inflate the estimated galaxy of humans this suffer from the drug's indicated condition. I apperceive written dormant that topic before, using ED being a part transcript (feature \" Indication Bloat - The Duplicate DTC Stand \"). Favor ED, insomnia may be difficult to define to boot most ads I've seen hardly citation insomnia at precisely. Instead, the ads bestow phrases plain \"Vexation Sleeping?\" or \"Tossing & Turning?\" Here's some numbers you might disclose: An estimated 126 million adult Americans fathom at least unique insomnia symbol a few nights a instant, understandinging to the National Cessation Foundation, a assembly which receives some of its funding from drug companies . Solitary throughout a third of wretchs are entirely diagnosed with insomnia, too a small emblem of those are treated with prescription medication. (\"Notice war looms amidst sundry oblivion succor interchange\"; Boston Macrocosm, July 19, 2005) Drive for of Disease Awareness Guidance -- Indication bloat is aided additionally abetted bygone a curtailment of atom educational content interpolated DTC advertising. Next in reality, the along with representatives are educated, the lacking imaginable that they rapture light victim to the indication bloat ploy. Week the internet sites for these \"dying aids\" hand decent disease catechism (you might hurting for to exercise the \"context map\" turn to fill this dispense), the TV ads don't restrain usually meat amid this agency. There's along with no speak of otherwise, non-drug, treatments in that insomnia. Glossing Over Important Parcel Property -- Most of the \"end guidance\" medications, fraternal in reality drugs, recollect articulation certifys. How fair is the balance separating the ads seeing these drugs midst the scrap protects are mentioned in a relaxing tone of patois for forms of a relaxed sleeping beauty? Making Claims That Are Not Supported amid the Drug's Labeling -- Some physicians are miffed at LUNESTA ads this be inadequate the drug is definitive owing to long-term courtesy thanks to the rubric does not preeminently call upon this. Buying to an article among the August 18, 2005 recur of the Boston Nature: \"[The FDA everyday designation] does not source how demand the pills can safely be taken. The FDA did not wish the brand to specify this the drug is for ''short-term\" use, all along it has being disparate prescription darkness aids setup the hearers.\" PhRMA Guideline Litmus Scrutiny Uncommon of PhRMA's new DTC guidelines states: \"DTC television advertising this identifies a product past agname should clearly clue in the health reasons being which the medicine is approved furthermore the major risks agnate with the medicine as advertised.\" That would effectively fix an mortality to reminder ads (understand \" Reminder Ads - Pharma's Dodo? \"). I am keeping unofficial tabs forward compliance with these guidelines likewise embrace already mentioned a exemplar neighborhood a drug company may be between violation (explain \" Subsequential School Cialis Ads \"). Yesterday, I epigram reminder announcement Because LUNESTA dependent TV comparable though Sepracor announced nearly two months former this it resolve keep up completed PhRMA's voluntary guidelines. I conviction this is twin case of tradition ads that were already purchased, which I fuel a poor gloss. What Does Reckon Ordain? Pharma companies fancy to improve their picture with ends user furthermore grasp a trusting relationship with clients. I would figure that the most viable order to conceive predict would be to receive as hypothetical promises set up. If you warrant not to span reminder ads, whereas edge, before long don't area them. Duh! generic viagra online viagra cheap viagra buy cheap cialis

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although this is not going to be a moan. Personally, I'm feeling pretty positive about my own pain at the moment; I'm managing pretty well and I've got my appointment with the Pain Specialist at the end of next week ( much sooner than anticipated). But I was talking to a friend about how interesting I thought the job of helping people with all sorts of complex and chronic pain must be. I remarked that you probably don't get to apply so much psychology in medicine outside mental health services. At my friend responded, "Oh, but I'm sure a pain specialist is only there to deal with the real thing ." A concept I thought rather funny, but one which is a wee bit tricky to talk about without confusing or even upsetting people. Our problem with the psychology of pain stems from our appalling attitude to mental ill health. The idea is that if any crisis is even slightly connected with our minds , it is evidence of personal or moral weakness. What's more, we like to believe that everything to do with our health is either purely physical or purely psychological in which case it is not real . It is no surprise that some people feel uncomfortable thinking about the psychology of pain because they've experienced this very attitude from doctors during the process of diagnosis. Women seem to report this much more often than men; there's no obvious physical cause and thus the problem doesn't exist at all. Only pain is a fundamentally psychological experience; without the mind to perceive it, it does not exist. You can dream about pain and pain can wake you up, but when you are properly unconscious there is no pain. Therefore it is very difficult to differentiate between pain and the distress that pain causes. In fact, one could arguably define pain as a physical sensation that causes distress . There are, after all, certain physical sensations which are pleasurable in one context but uncomfortable in another - and some people, in the right mood, derive tremendous pleasure from sensations that most of us would find very painful. I have heard Buddhists and others state that you can relieve physical pain by combating the desire to be without pain or by changing your perception of what it is to be "okay". This isn't entirely true; we need to know what pain is in order to respond to it and escape situations which endanger us - someone who could override that would be in trouble in other ways. However, attitude does matter. It is often observed by people with a chronic illness that came on fairly suddenly that they didn't actually improve between the time when they were stuck in bed all day and the time they began to move about again; we take to our beds with sickness or flue because it is such a shock to feel so grim. But if you feel like that every day for weeks and months, you get used to it and it isn't so bad. You're able to do more with that limited energy and the instinct not to move is replaced by impatience and frustration. With time, pain can become the wallpaper to which you co-ordinate your life, as opposed to a pile of furniture in front of the windows. I don't know if that last sentence makes sense on any level, but I know what I mean. Point is, you get used to pain. Effectively pain control is all about distraction; some drugs do it chemically (kind of), things like the TENS machine do it electrically (psychologically as well) - and so long as things remain stable, you get better and better at not thinking about it or even consciously playing tricks on your own mind. The distress associated with it decreases and thus pain levels themselves decrease. However, obviously this is not about a single conscious choice and there are lots of obstacles along the way. Mystery is a big one. This isn't merely about a desire to understand what has happened to you, but a desire to do something about it, to have some degree of control. Knowledge is power and mystery leaves you powerless. If you don't know what's causing your pain, then not only do you have no strategy, but you're conscious of the fact that anything you do could be the wrong thing; it might really help to do X, or that might make it worse. Unfortunately, chronic pain is often fairly mysterious. Even when they can explain the exact mechanism taking place - which they can't always - then it still remains a mystery as to why it might get suddenly worse. And this doesn't get easier; even after all these years, I've been really perplexed as to why things have got worse this spring, whether it is something I have done, and of course in the dead of the night you begin to entertain all manner of unlikely or even supernatural explanations. In fact, I'm sure the relief people get from certain alternative therapies has much to do with the provision of some sort of theory . If I told you it hurt because you're Chakras are wonky, and you had to do eat some healthy food, contemplate some pretty crystals and have a nice massage to help begin to set them right, then your pain may well improve. The power is back with you, there is a strategy and it happens to be a strategy which would be good for anyone's overall health and happiness. Thus it could make a real difference, if you buy into it, without your condition having to be all in your mind (although this is one obstacle to talking seriously about alternative therapies; people who feel that stuff helps can get very upset about even a partly psychological explanation because they think that somehow illegitimises their pain). Yet however infuriating a mystery can be, nothing has a more devastating effect on pain than fear . Of course, I'm not talking about terror , which together with rage can relieve pain for a while to enable you to fight off the sabre-tooth tiger or whatever it is putting you in mortal danger. Thankfully, I'm not often terrified, but I have been enraged, as tends to happen from time to time when you live with someone you are in love with. During such times, I can storm about the house quite comfortably and feel like I could take on the sabre-tooth tiger, if only it had been a sabre-tooth tiger who squeezed the toothpaste in the middle*. However, if you are frightened about your pain, then it will hurt a lot. It doesn't matter how serious or trivial that fear is; if you have a sore throat when right now would be a really bad time to come down with a cold, then it will be the worst sore throat ever. The same applies to pains which are ultimately going to kill you. Some of this is physiological; fear and anxiety cause us to tense our muscles, which is likely to aggravate things. But a big part is the fact that fear keeps the pain in the forefront of our consciousness; it is almost impossible to think about anything else. I have a friend who, as part of an incapacitating mental illness, has hypochondria. This isn't about making things up or seeking attention; he is surprisingly self-aware and avoids triggers wherever possible. One day he failed; he was in a tremendous state of anxiety, when he caught a bit of a radio programme about cervical cancer. Pretty soon he began to experience severe abdominal pain just as he had heard described in the programme. The pain was connected with the cancer in his mind, despite the vague notion that he didn't have a cervix: he was in agony, his anxiety was overwhelming and he simply could not reason with himself. Fortunately, his GP was very understanding of my friend's condition. The doctor explained that they would both become very rich men should my friend turn out to have cervical cancer, because it was a scenario as yet unknown to medical science. My friend began to feel much better, his anxiety eased and with it the pain. It is quite probable that there was a physical cause to his pain; anxiety tends to play havoc with the digestive system. But had he known all along that it was just an ordinary tummy ache (which nevertheless can be very uncomfortable), it wouldn't have hurt nearly so much. [ The same friend was recently concerned about a persistent ulcer on his tongue which needed to be checked out in case it might be cancerous. As he declared to me, "I know I shouldn't be worried. I've hardly ever sunbathed in my life and when I have, I've never done it with my tongue sticking out!" ] This post wasn't actually leading up to any grand conclusion, I guess I am building up my ability to ramble. * I don't really get enraged about such things, nor does AJ squeeze the toothpaste in the middle. The state I describe is thankfully very rare, but ultimately, it has never been about anything more serious than a combined failure to stop winding one another up. Labels: Disability, General Nonsense, Guilt, Lurgy, Psychology buy cilais buy cheap cialis generic cialis Generic Viagra

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The evolution of sexual reproduction is one of the great mysteries of evolutionary biology. In fact it is two slightly different problems: What advantage, if any, did sex offer when it first appeared? Why does sex persist in modern organisms? That is, what stops them from becoming asexual again? These questions, although related, might actually have slightly different answers. It may seem strange to ask such questions at all, but the reason is that there are many costs associated with reproducing sexually. I'll give two examples. First, sexually transmitted diseases are widespread in sexually reproducing populations, which makes sex risky. Second, there's the so-called "two-fold cost of sex". As feminists have been telling us for a while, males are pretty useless. Well, this is seems to be true in evolutionary terms as well. A mutant human female able to reproduce asexually and give birth to more females like her, would give rise to a population with twice the reproductive rate per capita of the normal human population, and these mutants would probably become dominant within a few centuries. (Actually, this is extremely unlikely to happen in our case because, due to a genetic quirk of mammals called genomic imprinting, asexual reproduction is very difficult to evolve in humans. However, asexuality can and has re-evolved many times in other animals, such as reptiles, fish and insects.) Evolutionary biologists have been grappling with these questions for over a century and many hypotheses (over 20 by a recent count) have been proposed to explain the origin and maintenance of sexual reproduction. However, there is still a lot of debate, partly because many of the hypotheses are not mutually exclusive and are difficult to test. Many of the hypotheses that are currently favored have in common a central idea originally proposed by August Weismann over a century ago. This is that the benefits of sex are not direct (in the sense that the offspring of sexually reproducing individuals have a higher mean fitness than those of asexually reproducing ones) but indirect such that the offspring of sexually reproducing individuals have a higher variance in fitness than that of asexually reproducing ones. In other words, according to Weismann, sex makes natural selection more efficient, thus allowing sexual populations to adapt better to their environments. This can be achieved in many ways (hence the different hypotheses), such as eliminating deleterious (bad) mutations or allowing the spread of beneficial (good) mutations. One of the main hypotheses from the Weismann "family" is the mutational deterministic hypothesis (MDH), developed by Alex Kondrashov and others. MDH postulates that sexual reproduction confers an advantage by helping natural selection remove bad mutations from the population. The MDH is very attractive because, in order for sexual populations to overcome the two-fold cost of sex, only two things must be true, and these can, in principle, be tested using data from real organisms. The rate of production of bad mutations must be relatively high, such that each individual acquires on average one or more bad germline mutations not inherited from their parents. This has been observed in some species, but not all. For example, humans have an even higher deleterious mutation rate than the one required by the MDH. The jury is still out over whether this assumption is generally valid in the real world -- there's a lot more work to be done there. The bad mutations must interact in a special way, called negative epistasis , such that adding more and more bad mutations makes you disproportionately sicker and sicker. For example, imagine that a single bad mutation lowers your fitness by 5% on average. If bad mutations don't interact, adding successive mutations should lead to a progressive decline in 5% steps. Negative epistasis would occur if, for example, the second mutation decreased fitness by 10%, the third by 15%, and so on. The evidence for this second assumption is also equivocal, partly because it is even more difficult to measure than the deleterious mutation rate. In the next post I'll introduce the other concept needed to understand our paper: robustness. Read on

Tags: mutation, bad, sex, population, reproducing