There is no doubt that health messages are confusing. What causes cancer one week cures it the next. And messages about what to eat seem to get increasingly complicated. Cap that off with the overarching theme, which comes through, most health messages that “we are...
As the year draws to a close it is interesting how three of the key themes that I have written about this year have all raised their heads. And those are 1) The medicalization of life 2) Over diagnosis from screening tests 3) Pharmaceutical companies misbehaving...
What’s your blood count? Blood pressure? Bone density? PSA? If it is abnormal, odds are that you will want it to be normal. In doing so, you are making the same leap of faith that your doctor is making when he commences treatment: that treating the numbers will...
A US appeals court has overturned a conviction of a former drug rep for encouraging doctors to prescribe a drug “off label”. The court ruled this violated the First amendment rights and that the federal government had failed to show his comments were false. I am no...
It is taken as read that check ups and screening are good for us. The logic is almost intuitive. Finding disease early is better than finding it late as treatment can be more effective. Also not everything has symptoms so testing and checking may uncover problems...
We hear much about the war on drugs.There is a much bigger problem that has not attracted much attention or interest.That is the deaths,overdoses and addictions due to legal pain killers. An inquest is pending in the coroners court about a death related to the...
