Much is made of the evidence base of modern medicine. It is certainly the case that many trials are done and that to bring a pharmaceutical to market requires trial evidence to show that the drug is better than placebo and that side effects are acceptable. There is...
It was in April 2013 when I made the link between my son’s suicide attempt at five years of age and his use of the widely prescribed asthma and allergy medication Singulair (active ingredient Montelukast). The Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) had...
There is increasing interest in the over use of medical tests, medications and procedures. There has been a belief that more medicine equals better health. In reality it does not. Whilst we absolutely can and do benefit from the advances medicine has made, too much of...
Personalised medicine, or pharmacogenomics, means targeting drugs and treatments based on a person’s genetics. This approach has significantly improved outcomes for cancer patients in recent years. Now research is showing that a person’s gut microbiome (the bacteria...
There is a great quote by Milton Friedman which says “One of the great mistakes is to judge policies and programs by their intentions rather than their results”. The same can be said of medical interventions. We are constantly told of the crisis in mental health and...
Recently I had the great pleasure of giving a talk to a group of University students who are part of Mannkal Scholars. These are students who are wanting to expand their minds and be challenged by ideas rather than retreat into safe spaces. The topic was the Black...
