In the News

I’ve had a couple terrible, horrible, no good, very bad weeks, so I’m trying to take it easy right now. Fortunately Kevin, MD has had several links to interesting stories in the last few days that I’ve wanted to share.

• Primarily about the FDA’s rejection of Plan B, this article also discusses how the agency is influenced by the pharmaceutical industry.
• Doctors can’t treat illnesses with magic, but a magician’s skills may be useful in developing patient rapport and trust.
• Google is a powerful tool that even helps doctors diagnose patients.
• On average, Britons take 373 painkillers each year. The British Medical Association is concerned by this “misuse.”

P.S. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, which I allude to in the first sentence of the post, is quite an entertaining book.