As I wrote recently, many of our most useful medications come from bizarre sources, ranging from mold from Adriatic castles to Gila monster spit and horse urine. Soon, cockroach brains may be added to this profoundly unappetizing list.
Policy & Industry
Egg Investigation Heads to Maine
The AP is reporting an inquiry into 3 egg farms in Maine that have ties to Jack DeCoster, owner of an Iowa farm involved in the largest ever egg recall. DeCoster’s company recalled 380 million eggs for salmonella contamination, …
Experts Split on Safety of Diet Drug Meridia
Two months after a Food and Drug Administration advisory committee recommended stronger restrictions on the use of a popular diabetes drug, the same panel voted to impose similar limitations on the use of the diet drug Meridia.
Number of the Day: 50.7 Million
The Census bureau announced today that 50.7 million people in the U.S., including 7.5 million children, did not have health insurance in 2009, up from 46.3 million in 2008. The number of U.S. residents with insurance in 2009 was …
No More Outdoor Smoking in New York City?
New York City’s government proposed legislation yesterday to ban smoking in city parks, beaches and pedestrian plazas like Times Square and Rockefeller Center. Despite rumors, the ban would not extend to city streets.
New Fat Fighting Machines: Real, FDA Approved
Two new machines that either freeze or deflate fat cells, helping to assist weight loss and even change a person’s overall shape, may be on the market soon. According to the FDA, they are not a gimmick.
FDA Panel Won’t Restrict Cough Syrup
As Healthland noted earlier, the FDA considered imposing an age limit on purchasing cough syrup, due to its abuse among teenagers. But last night, a panel assembled by the FDA voted to keep cough syrups like Robitussin and …
Study We Didn’t Make Up: Health Reporters Are Better Journalists
We don’t like to toot our own horn over here at Healthland, but we’d be remiss not to bring you the latest in public-health research. According to a five-year University of Toronto review of Australian newspapers, health …
Why Medical Malpractice Suits Have Little to Do with Doctor Performance
A few days ago I wrote about how difficult it is for patients to be empowered consumers. A new study released today provides more evidence that patients are basically in the dark when it comes to knowing how well doctors do their jobs.
Meet the Man Behind Health Care Reform
If you’ve heard of Donald Berwick, the new chief of Medicare and Medicaid, chances are good that what you’ve heard has been pretty scary. Charges levels by Republicans critical of the new Affordable Care Act (ACA) include: He wants to create a British-style health care in the U.S.! He wants to ration care! He has secret ambitions to …
The Strange World of Drug Origins: Nuns’ Urine, Yew Trees and Rooster Combs
Some people go to infamous extremes to get high — smoking dried toad venom, for example, or in one Northern culture, drinking the urine of reindeer that are tripping on psychedelic mushrooms. And yet, stranger sources than …
Health Insurance Broker: Friend or Foe?
If you own a small business and provide health insurance to your employees, good for you! Many of your peers do not. But if you do, chances are good that you use an insurance broker or agent.
The BPA Debate: Bad Reputation and Still No Answers
Bisphenol-A (BPA), the endocrine-disrupting chemical in plastics — and the go-to environmental health villain — has vexed public-health experts for at least a decade. Reams of inconclusive and conflicting studies on the …
