Following are some wonderfully interesting articles on issues in health care. We did not report on them earlier because MedShadow Foundation’s mission is to gather and share information on the side and long term effects of prescription drugs and these articles study the system of medicine. However, I can’t bear to not share these ideas.
One Drug, Two Names, Many Problems, OpEd, New York Times, Dec. 1, 2013
This is an “Of course!” article, first published in the NYT blog, Opinionator, but I found it when published as an OpEd piece. The writer, Theresa Brown, states a problem that I hadn’t identified, and the risks are so clear that action should be taken. The solution Brown suggests is so straightforward and simple that it is a call to action.
Wanted: Consumers to Report Problems, FDA, June 23, 2013
The FDA has streamlined the process for reporting side effects of prescription of drugs for both consumers and doctors. We have a link to the new reporting site on the right side of our home page. Consumers are a vital link to the marketplace. Recent reports from consumers led to a recall of pre-filled syringes with tainted product. Consumer reports also alerted the FDA to the issue of testosterone cream on the upper arms of men. Through casual contact children being exposed to the testosterone.
Toxic Drugs: When Medicine Makes You Sick, Sep-Oct 2010, AARP
Drug toxicity is the gradual build up of a drug in the body’s system until it reaches toxic, dangerous levels with uncertain outcomes. What drugs are most likely to build up? What are the early signs?
Author Insights: Rapid Drug Approvals Leave Many Safety Questions Unanswered, News @ JAMA, Oct. 28, 2013
The Journal of the American Medical Association questions the safety of the FDA policy of expediting approval on certain prescription drugs. An expedited drug gets to the market 2 years, 4 months faster but is it at the expense of safety? The last phase of drug trials, testing on humans, is the only sure way to find adverse events or high levels of side effects before going into the public. Most drugs are tested on 580 patients in this phase, but expedited drugs are tested on 104 patients (median numbers).
How Chemicals Change Us, May 2, 2012 New York Times
Have you been hearing about endocrine disruptors? Many of the chemicals are embedded in our lives — and in our plastics, in the ink on receipts, in microwave popcorn. The endocrine system controls our hormone production which in turn controls our mood, energy, sex drive, fertility and many more things. Here is more info on the worries and the dangers.
