- chocolate: what is the best dose?
- tasting sugar water improves self-control
- The Beijing Interceptors.
- doctor complains about over-prescription of opiates. The author, a doctor named Susana Duncan, complains about several things, including “a system where symptoms are treated but the source of pain remains”. Treatment of symptoms rather than identification of causes is overwhelmingly true of the whole health care system, not just treatment of chronic pain. One example is depression. Anti-depressants do not reduce whatever caused the depression. Another example is high blood pressure. Blood-pressure-lowering drugs do nothing to eliminate what caused the high blood pressure. Duncan was once science editor of New York magazine, which may have something to do with her ability to cogently criticize the system.
- A British surgeon performs hundreds of unnecessary operations before being caught.
Thanks to Edward Jay Epstein, Bryan Castañeda, Paul Nash, Jay Barnes and Dave Lull.
Cool links especially “chocolate: what is the best dose?” Helpful and interesting read!
Doctor Susana Duncan said:
“It is not clear that private medical practice as we know it will survive at all under these cuts.”
One can only hope that she is correct! Considering how pathetic and unscientific and profit-driven the USA’s medical system is, the best thing for public health might be to do away with the whole private medical system.
I’m not a religious believer, but I suspect that faith healing charlatans would do less harm to the public health than the broken system we have now. At least the money-grubbing faith healers wouldn’t be turning millions of people into painkiller addicts.
jimpurdy1943@yahoo.com