An interesting article about scientists and their ties to profit making medical organizations such as pharma, device manufacturers and others has crossed my desk. And it’s a welcome change of pace! Questions have surrounded the objectivity of researchers for several years. A scientist or researcher who is employed by, say, a university, has traditionally accepted […]
Bloggers Affect the Objectivity of Science Read More »
Word came from my daughters this morning that their father has died. David died of a lethal combination of lupus, high blood pressure and alcoholism at the age of 59. Yes, he was my ex-husband. Divorced 20 years ago in 1988, there are 800+ miles between where I live and where he lived, miles put
My Daughters’ Grief — End-of-Life Decisions, Advanced Directives Read More »
You may think, like I did, that counterfeit drugs are somebody else’s problem. If they are dumb enough to order drugs from some third-world country that probably supports drug manufacturers that use only fake ingredients? Well. Caveat Emptor — that person gets what he deserves. Not my problem. I was so wrong! Turns out counterfeit
Counterfeit Drugs — They May Be In Your Medicine Cabinet Read More »
In January, I told you about three heinous infection situations — three people who contracted MRSA from negligence and bad medical protocol. At the time, I took some major hits from providers — in effect, chastising ME for the plight of these people, and taking offense to the fact that I blamed the professionals who
Another MRSA Death, More Heartbreak Read More »
One of my About.com colleagues forwarded a link to an article in this week’s Newsweek called “Revenge of the Experts.” The article analyzes Web 2.0 — a term synonymous with “social media” — like blogging, wikis, facebook, myspace, you-tube or all the link-to-link programs like Stumble Upon or del.icio.us (I never know where to put
What Makes an Expert? The Journey to Web 3.0 Read More »
Forbes Magazine this month includes an exhaustive and question-inducing series of articles about hospitals and their ability to best take care of the patients who trust them. And the picture isn’t pretty. Even the titles make us pay attention: Bad Medicine Dirty Tricks Hospitals’ Nightmare And the subtitle under Bad Medicine is — The heart
Forbes: Patients Lose Thru Lack of Hospital Competition Read More »
Questions began circulating about the Pfizer TV and magazine commercials for Lipitor earlier this month. You’ve seen them — Robert Jarvik, the supposed “inventor of the artificial heart” touts his use of Lipitor as his way of controlling his cholesterol levels so he won’t have a heart attack like his father did. He runs. He
Jarvik’s Lipitor Commercials – Was Any of It True? Read More »
This New York Times letter to the editor caught my eye… Second opinions are so very necessary in a case of a difficult diagnosis, or when treatment will be needed for chronic recurrences of a disease, or in particular when a patient needs surgery. Patients are way too often intimidated at the thought of telling
Three Cheers – Cardiology and Second Opinions Read More »
