An advisory committee at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently voted against fast-track approval for an experimental drug to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). ALS is also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. You can watch the committee meeting, and learn more, in this post.
Category: Devon Herrick
Free the Pharmacists
Covid-19 will have a lasting effect on the practice of medicine. One advancement is the rise of telemedicine, which was less common before the pandemic. Another advancement is demonstrating that pharmacists can do more than count pills and pharmacies are an idea place to provide convenient care. Why the Pharmacy?
Is your doctor gaslighting you? Or just too busy to talk?
Medical gaslighting is the term used when patients feel their doctors dismiss their symptoms as minor or psychosomatic. Women complain doctors are prone to blame symptoms on such things as weight and mental health. Women presenting with symptoms of heart disease are twice as likely to have their medical condition dismissed as mental illness than men with similar symptoms.
Would you see a dental therapist rather than a dentist?
About 60 million Americans live in “dental deserts” with little access to dental care. Those of us who live in a “dental oasis” often find dental care is expensive (OK, I made that last term up). Here I wrote about traveling 2,500 miles to Costa Rica for specialty dental care, but there are easier ways to access routine dental care. I could go to Minnesota and see a dental therapist, for example.