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Pepin’s Pharmaceutical Prattle for 12-04-2006
Quote of the day: The ideals which have lighted my way, and time after time have given me new courage to face life cheerfully, have been Kindness, Beauty, and Truth. The trite subjects of human efforts, possessions, outward success, luxury have always seemed to me contemptible. Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955)
Good morning ! Potato potato! When the children were little we had an in-ground swimming pool in our back yard. We had a few rules to keep everyone safe. One rule was that no one was to yell "HELP!" unless they really needed it. "If you want to yell a pretend help", said I, " just yell 'POTATO!' instead." The kids thought this was pretty cool and would quickly inform any friends they had over about the "POTATO rule". It was not uncommon to have 5 or 6 children bobbing around in the pool in upside down life jackets (another story) yelling "Potato!. Potato!" at the top of their lungs. Who knows what the neighbors thought? A decade ago the joke was that Dan Quayle, who is extraordinarily intelligent by the way, could not spell "Potato". He was on one of many public appearances, this time at a school, and was asked to be a judge for a spelling bee. I'm sure he had more pressing thoughts on his mind as he was handed a stack of cards and was to ask successive participants to spell the word on each card in order. One card contained "POTATOE" so when the child responded with "P-O-T-A-T-O" he said "incorrect". He was not asked to spell "potato" but the media tagged him with it. After that time every miscue was presented to the public as further "proof" of his "limited capacity" and unacceptability. How many of us wish we could take back a word or two from our past. Howard Dean would like to erase his war cry which lead to his erasure from the 2004 presidential race. Moral? Most of us are less prominent in the eye of the public but we should still all choose our words wisely. While sound bites take on a life of their own so do harsh words spoken at any time to acquaintances and love ones. With the Christmas season upon us and the expectation that all will be rosy and bright makes a quick temper or tongue pierce even deeper. By the same token, a kind word spoken to the unsuspecting can add joy.
=================================================== ps. Best answer this week to the question "How are you?" was "Peachy keen!" pps. Occasionally, some of the links require FREE registration.... I'm sure you can handle THAT slight inconvenience. ------------
1) Out of date AMA wants pharmaceutical companies to prove that drugs can not have longer expiration dates. I thought that the drug companies had to prove that their drugs were good for a certain amount of time. I wonder if these doctors wish to indemnify the drug companies in rhe event that there is harm due to sub-potent drugs due to expanded dating with evidence. Some state laws require that the pharmacist place a date on the pharmacy bottle of no more than 1 year. http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/living/health/16128211.htm
2) Genzyme options Lou Gehrig's Disease drug Option granted for evaluation of the new chemical entity, affectionately know as NsG33, against ALS. http://pharmalive.com/news/index.cfm?articleID=394900&categoryid=9&newsletter=1
3) Wal-Mart $4 generic program illegal in Minnesota? An old law on the books prevents pharmacies from selling drugs substantially below cost. The depression era law was to protect the smaller pharmacies from the large stores. (some things haven't changed much). I expect that some special loop hole will be found to allow the program to go forward. http://www.topix.net/content/kri/3242791318347860831436942630682985068610
4) Party for parity in mental health? GOP After years of opposition, republicans are backing legislation that would put schizophrenia on par with the treatment of heart disease. Presently, most people have better coverage for physical ailments than for psychological maladies. http://www.pharmacyonesource.com/members/work/daily_news/article.asp?category_id=30&record_id=212248
5) "Favorite flavor…cherry red" … or very dead. New warning issued on methadone fatalities related to its use against pain. The brain is satisfied with the opiate and feels that it no longer needs oxygen, Use of methadone for pain should be carefully evaluated. http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/16111324.htm
6) Drink coffee for reduced diabetes risk. Coffee drinkers, as opposed to orange juice drinkers, had a lower risk of diabetes. Coffee drinkers (4 or more cups a day) appear to be better able to regular their blood sugars. Here's to java!
7) Stink a little…live a lot. In a European study, garlic and/or onions were shown to reduce the risk of cancers. Bon appetite.
Have a SUPER-FANTASTIC week. Steve
Disclaimer: "Pepin's Pharmaceutical Prattle" (AKA "The Prattle") is the property of PHARMWORKS, LLC and Steven M. Pepin, Pharm. D, BCPS. The opinions expressed are those of the bald-headed author. To start or stop any drug without the advice and supervision of your physician would be stupid. So don't do anything based upon what you read here without professional advice. To be added to or removed from the distribution list please e-mail your request to spepin@pharmworks.com . All insightful comments from readers are thoughtfully considered (the rest are callously discarded). Copyright 1998-2006 PHARMWORKS, LLC all rights reserved. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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