Tag: first do no harm
Too Many Antidepressants!!
As the kidz say, read the whole thing. A Glut of Antidepressants By RONI CARYN RABIN Over the past two decades, the use of antidepressants has skyrocketed. One in 10 Americans now takes an antidepressant medication; among women in their 40s and 50s, the figure is one in four. Experts have offered numerous reasons….
Read MoreWhy Bacteria are Your Friends
I majored in Biochemistry in college and spent a year before Medical School working in the lab of Dr. Daniel Koshland. He was a great scientist and a wonderful man. After a 3 month trip to India, I was telling him and the group about my adventures, and how I had gotten sick at each…
Read MoreA Lone Researcher Casts Doubt on Lucrative Diabetes Drug
One of the key researchers who worked on Januvia, a new diabetes drug, is convinced that it can lead to pancreatic cancer. This article describes the increible pressure the doctor is under. Be careful out there. Too bad they can’t invest in exercise spaces and good food instead. A Lone Voice Raises Alarms on…
Read MoreHazards of Robotic $urgery
I’m getting quite crabby posting on the “Follow the Money” theme. Who would have guessed that these expensive robots not only are no better, but can be dangerous? First, Do No Harm. I got a bit of snarky satisfaction from the NYTimes title, “Salesmen in the Surgical Suite.” Click through for the whole thing,…
Read MoreMaking the Invisible Visible
We all know it’s hard to prove a negative. The term “Absence Blindness” refers to a concept that when you prevent something from happening (absence) it is difficult to perceive it. In our culture, there is more willingness to deal with something once it happens (Hurricane Sandy relief), then to prevent it from happening…
Read MoreRecommendation for Otitis Media: Watchful Waiting
New guidelines from the Academy of Pediatrics. We’ve discussed the conundrum of antibiotics for otitis media here and here. Having completed a Pediatric Residency and passed my Boards (granted, this was back in the Dark Ages), this comes as such a 180′ turn around, it’s sort of difficult to believe. Stricter diagnostic criteria and broader…
Read MoreMore Specialty Recommendations on Testing: First, Do No Harm
Here is a link to more recommendations about testing, which tests are worth it and which are not. Just a few things I learned. Colonoscopy only needed every 10 year. Bone density testing necessary after age 65. They had a lot to say about PPI’s, or Proton Pump Inhibitors for GERD and gastric distress. I…
Read MoreDr.Oz: Morning Philosophizing
From the Feb 4th issue of the New Yorker, a profile of Dr. Mehmet Oz, entitled “The Operator,” (he is discussing the presence of a guest “authority” on his show who explicitly rejects the tenets of science) “If I don’t talk to him I have abdicated my responsibility, because the currency that I deal in…
Read MoreValue of Yearly Physicals Controversial
Over diagnosis of small irregularities can lead to over testing and risks. We’ve discussed the problems with too much exposure to the health system here, here. January 21, 2013, 12:01 am A Check on Physicals By JANE E. BRODY “Go Beyond Your Father’s Annual Physical. Live Longer, Feel Better” This sales pitch for the…
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