ppp 07-25-05

Quote of the day:

The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.

George Bernard Shaw (1856 - 1950), Man and Superman (1903) "Maxims for Revolutionists"

Ever hear of the inventor of “Preparation G”? How about the author of the equation E=mb2? Who would watch a movie called “9”? What do all of the above creative minds have in common? They stopped just a little short of greatness.

We were not born with all the answers. It takes a series of trial and error to master most skills. “When skiing” said my mother “you aren’t learning anything unless you are falling”. Those who learn; make mistakes. They take risks and some actually pay off. You never know when you will hit the “tipping point” and everything you have done will fall in place. Your day to day work may not appear to bear fruit today but maybe tomorrow... or next week. Success can not be guaranteed while failure is assured by stopping today. So gird those loins and push a little harder ... do something unreasonable once in awhile.

pps. Some of the link require FREE registration.... I'm sure you can handle THAT slight inconvenience.

Tamiflu being stockpiled in the wake of evidence that the drug works against bird flu. Recently the Minnesota DNR found that wetlands in the State were up over 30% but the nesting duck population was down by more than 20%. Coincidence? I think not! (and I’m scared!)

Where were we? Where are we? Seldane knocked out years ago due to fatal drug interaction. Claritin pushed to OTC status and now available as a generic OTC. Now Allegra stays prescription but will face a generic competitor. Zyrtec remains as a competitor in the market but is a “low-sedating” antihistamine instead of a “non-sedating” antihistamine. Expect plans to save money by either not covering any drug in the class because the OTC is available or only covering generics.

Allergy to wheat, beef, pork, lamb, and soy beans may be present in Irritable Bowel Syndrome patients. May be a good way to start treatment… avoid these foods before resorting to drugs.

Folate is found in fruits and vegetables lacking in the diet in some countries. Low folate linked to strokes…. (with apologies to Capital One)…How much folate is in YOUR diet?

We already know that the drug is fatal….to the little people… now a few big ones pay the price for their “choice”. Don’t expect the drug to go away because of this or the physicians that use it to heed the “black box” warning. They will continue to use it just as they did last year. … as long as it is on the market.

Lester Crawford FINALLY confirmed as FDA Commissioner. (…HBO Saturday night fights have nothing compared to the Supreme Court row to come.)

Physicians appear to have had a hand in triggering bouts of madness in King George back in the late 1700’s ending in his death in 1820. Heavy metals (the chemicals… not the music) found in drugs forced upon the king by well-meaning physicians tipped a genetically prone (porphyria) man over the edge. http://www.reutershealth.com/en/index.html

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.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------