Tag: Big Pharma

Ethics in Medicine

The Challenge of Going Off of Psychiatric Drugs

This article is a must read for anyone who has been on psychiatric medications for any length of time.  It can be agony to get off of them, and debilitating to take them over time.  There is so much in this article, and very important information.  I see this so often in my practice where…

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Ethics in Medicine

Statins. The Discussion Goes On

In this article the author lays out why she’s decided to stay on statins.  But what is remarkable is that she has had over 700 comments to her original article.  I’ve read through some of them and there are  many readers who think that the side effects are downplayed by physicians.  Some of the readers…

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Prescription Drug Prices Are Through the Roof: It's Time for Government Intervention

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Ethics in Medicine

What if Placebo Isn't a trick?

Interesting history of placebo and the current research.  Ted Kapchuk, famous for his work on acupuncture, feels that the placebo relies on the practitioner/patient relationship.  I don’t agree with that, but he’s the expert!  He’s uncomfortable with trying to pin down the placebo effect to the genome, or molecular/cellular response.  He seems to only be…

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Negative Studies are Buried or Not Published

This is a huge problem.  Researchers bury studies because their data don’t fit their hypothesis.  Drug companies famously have not reported the negative results for their products.  Furthermore, it’s much harder to get negative results published in journals.  

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Ethics in Medicine

Common Over the Counter and Prescription Drugs Contribute to Depression

  First Do No Harm. I guess I’m not surprised.  I’ve been suspicious of Gabapentin for awhile though.  Anecdotally, I’ve had a number of patients who felt quite dysphoric on it and had to stop.   And, of course, birth control pills can be a serious problem for some women. ” Many patients are taking more…

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Theranos, still in the news

I won’t speculate why it’s the women who tend to get the punishment,  but those investors should have listened to me!!  

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Ethics in Medicine

Acupuncture Better than Botox, Meds for Migraines

In this study of 108 migraineurs, Acupuncture produced better results than botox or pharmaceuticals.  Their succinct conclusion “Acupuncture, botulinum toxin-A injection and pharmacological treatment have beneficial effects on chronic migraine; however, acupuncture showed more effectiveness and fewer complications.” Nice! Caspian J Intern Med. 2017 Summer;8(3):196-204. doi: 10.22088/cjim.8.3.196. Acupuncture and botulinum toxin A injection in the…

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Using Neuromodulation for Migraine

Bioelectronics Company That is Targeting Migraine Treatment Raises $6 Million July 4, 2017 – Israel-based medical device company Theranica Bio-electronics raised $6 million in Series A financing, which it will use on the regulatory process for its first product, an acute treatment for migraine. The company said its device is in a pivotal study in…

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Ethics in Medicine

Statins Can Increase Risk of Brain Hemorrhage

Statin Drugs Increase Risk for Brain Hemorrhage

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