Today John Goodman posted the Danger of Drug Laws and the unintended consequences of making drug abuse illegal. Because drug abuse is illegal, illicit drug users don’t have the support system that medical pharmaceuticals have. For example, fentanyl has both legitimate medicinal uses and non-medical uses. It has a low therapeutic index when used for pain relief. That means it is inherently risky.
Category: Devon Herrick
Health & Wellness, Nutrition Counseling are Great Ideas (that Do Not Save Money)
A couple weeks ago I wrote about whether physicians should counsel their patients about diet and lifestyle choices. It’s a little naïve to assume a 5-minute discussion with your doctor will change a lifetime of bad habits. It’s probably a conversation worth having though. However, does your doctor have time to discuss healthy behaviors? Are patients willing…
Americans Mistrust the Health Care System… for Good Reason
More than 30 years ago when the cost of health care was much lower compared to the average wage of American workers. In the late 1980s, for example, the percent of GDP spent on health care was just over 10%. It’s nearly 20% today. Around that time a politically motivated attorney general began looking into the amount of charity care provided by nonprofit hospitals within the state to make sure hospitals were providing enough to justify their tax breaks. The investigation ultimately found hospitals in the state were providing enough charity care to avoid further investigation, but perhaps the question should have been why was the bar set so low?
FDA Finally Approved an OTC Oral Contraceptive; Now it Should Approved Competing Ones
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has finally approved an over-the-counter hormonal birth control pill.
At a time of unrelenting attacks on reproductive autonomy, the Food and Drug Administration’s decision on July 13 to approve a birth control pill for over-the-counter (OTC) use is an important advance toward providing people with tools to control their fertility. This includes preventing unwanted pregnancy. Having Opill, a safe, effective, easy-to-use birth control option available without a prescription is essential, because it so difficult for many people to get prescription birth control in the U.S.