For about a year, KinderFarms has been marketing a “non-toxic” pain and fever reliever for kids – except it’s really not non-toxic. What supposedly makes this medicine “safe” is the absence of “chemical preservatives.” Too bad. Had KinderFarms co-founder actress Jessica Biel put preservatives in her product, it might have been safer for us – and for her company’s bottom line.
Harm Reduction
In this radio interview, Lars Larson and I discussed overeating and over-imbibing during the holidays, particularly focusing on the phenomenon known as "Holiday Heart Syndrome."
Even as cigarette manufacturers can no longer escape liability for addiction-inducing practices, social media (SM) companies hide behind the First Amendment and The Communications Decency Act (CDA) to protect themselves. A recent case dents this shield. But the decision still protects some SM activities - even those allegedly engendering addictions in teens. I disagree with the Court’s reasoning. Here’s why.
Methadone has been known to be an effective treatment for opioid addiction and dependency since the 1960s. Unfortunately, in this country, since 1972, the federal government segregates people with opioid use disorder from people with other health conditions that doctors treat in their offices by requiring them to travel miles each day to take a daily dose of methadone at government-approved clinics. Congress may soon undertake the first serious reform in how people get methadone in more than a half-century.
In this radio interview with John Batchelor, our conversation includes (1) the approval of the latest COVID vaccines; and (2) the problem – especially for people in some occupations – with testing for the presence of marijuana and other drugs.
In last week’s “Red State/Blue State” square-off between the governors of Florida and California, CA's Gavin Newsom touted his state’s lower per-capita overdose death rate. It might have to do with how the different states compare on harm reduction.
A recent study from JAMA Internal Medicine documents that in many cases in which a patient has died, the electronic medical record – the baseline truth for Big Healthcare Data – lists them as alive. Does the term "garbage in, garbage out" ring some bells?
This is a bit of a rhetorical question. It's based on the simple fact that the percentage of the population wearing a mask in public in July 2022 was; 86% in Japan; 43% in the U.S.; 21% in the U.K., and 5% in Denmark. Japan was not alone among the Asian nations, all wearing masks in the 80% or greater range. Why might that be?
Everyone is using, embedding – or about to use and embed – Artificial Intelligence in their work. I am not so concerned about the imminent arrival of SkyNet; those bits and pieces are already in place. What concerns me more is that A.I., already a misnomer, will increasingly become real stupidity and hurt patients along the way.
Ten thousand steps for exercise and health, much like ten thousand hours to become an “expert,” are magic quantifications passed down without clear origins. Some researchers sought some scientific clarity.
In my radio conversation with Lars Larson, we discussed concerns about the Veterans Administration (VA) potentially allowing optometrists to perform laser eye surgery on veterans for glaucoma.
Politicians are attacking a safe and important class of pesticides – neonicotinoids – with unwarranted bans and restrictions. These policies will be devastating to farmers, costly to consumers, and damaging to the environment.