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12-18-2006 Quote of the day: O Lord, help me to be pure, but not yet. Saint Augustine (354 AD - 430 AD)
Better be good for goodness sake This is supposed to be a happy time of the year. Friends and relatives all joined together over a holiday meal for a Norman Rockwell time. If this is not what you have to look forward to then your state appears worse as you compare yourself with the "ideal" holiday. Many divorced, separated, widowed or estranged people find the "Season of Joy" quite depressing. Add the fact that we are now in a part of the year with the least daylight and many are headed for depression. The expectation of good only seems to make things appear worse. Mel Gibson goes on a drunken rant to a police officer and everyone is calling for his head on a platter. Danny Divito goes on a drunken rant on national TV and will come out of it professionally unscathed. There are other examples: Bill Clinton is "Teflon man" even after being confronted for his actions with the intern. A Republican sends inappropriate correspondence to an intern, resigns in disgrace and causes a huge media and public backlash. Why are some people burned in effigy while others are given a "get out of jail free" card? I think I have a glimmer of insight into this phenomenon. Divito has always played scurrilous characters and we expect the worst type of behavior from him. His latest public antics are a continuation of this image and fully "expected". The thinking is "No cause for alarm…Danny is just being Danny." Mel on the other hand, predominately plays the hero or good guy. The public expectation is that he is nice, moral and upright so when he exhibits unacceptable behavior the public wants to punish him more for disappointing their stereotype. In each case the actions were dispicable but the reactions varried. Could the same be true of the terrorists of the world? We expect the worst from them so when they purposefully plan and execute the bombing of a bus with 50 people aboard we aren't nearly as incensed as when the "good guys" accidentally kill one civilian. What do the people around you expect from you? Are their expectations high or low? What are the expectations of your children? While any missteps may result in a meteoric fall, I prefer to climb high on the expectations grid. It gives good example to most and provides the potential for entertainment to the rest. I'm sure you will all find other things to do that read the PPP on Monday, December 25th, so I'll wish a Merry Christmas to my Christian friends… and Happy Hanukkah, which started 12/15, to my Jewish friends. More about the history of Christmas at http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03724b.htm and about the Festival of Lights at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanukkah . Pagans will just have to dance around a fire. ==================================================== ps. Best answer this week to the question "How are you?" was "Jollyl"...some guy in a red suit.
pps. Occasionally, some of the links require FREE registration.... I'm sure you can handle THAT slight inconvenience.
==================================================== 1) Six FDA employees can't watch enough TV The FDA can't seem to review promotional drug ads fast enough for some people. Lawyers are involved which slows things down even further. Imagine that! http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/14/AR2006121400046.html
2) Leg cramp cure! Quinine has been used for years in the fight against malaria. It has been promoted for leg cramps on an OFF-LABEL basis. The FDA is warning about the dangers of such use… including deaths. The best treatment for leg cramps came from my brother. When we go hunting in the fall we walk a lot further distances than we do on any other days of the year. The result is usually leg cramps in the middle of the night. Larry found that drinking a large tumbler of COLD water very quickly stops the cramps. It really works well… and without side effects. Try cold water instead of reaching for the quinine. (Don't even Think about cold quinine water!) http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/safety/2006/safety06.htm#Quinine
3) Corporations Treat depression and save money. While the savings are not astronomical, treating depression saved corporations money over a 5 year study. http://today.reuters.com/NNu7IV1RuYQxQ4B
4) Needle nose out nostrils Influenza vaccine administered by injection is more effective that the live vaccine inhaled through the nose. If you haven't already received one or the other … Now is the time to get one. http://www.sanluisobispo.com/mld/sanluisobispo/living/health/16231984.htm
5) Breast cancer rates drop Breast cancer rates dropped after health risks were linked to hormone replacement therapy for menopausal symptoms cause a drop in estrogen use. More studies will be required but this is a strong hint at future results and a positive boost to "evidence based medicine", http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/16248501.htm
6) Experimental drugs for sale The FDA is considering rules that would allow pharmaceutical companies to provide experiment drugs to patients who have run out of options with approved drugs… and to allow the drug companies to charge for them. This use would be outside of the controlled clinical trials that companies must complete before FDA consideration and final approval, I think that this might be a reasonable approach for cancer drugs (and other critical diseases) but would like to see patients tracked and outcomes measured and reported even if not within typical drug study protocols. http://www.boston.com/yourlife/12/rugs/
7) … and just in time for New Year's Eve The brain can repair alcohol induced brain damage. Brain volume increased by 2% in 38 days of abstinence from alcohol in recovering alcoholics. It pays to stop the abuse as early as possible to limit the damage done by alcohol and to allow the brain to heal itself. Who would've thunk it? http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?
------------ Have a SUPER-FANTASTIC week (and New Year) ! 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 1998-2005 PHARMWORKS, LLC all rights reserved. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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