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Category Archives: Perspectives…
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I’m Not a Doctor
Insanity from the Medical Profession: Chandler, Arizona Woman Wins $31.5M in Banner Suit
Krystal and Greyson Griepentrog were awarded the largest amount in Arizona medical malpractice history, about $31.5 million as a result of their lawsuit against Banner Health.~ (Dordick Law Corporation)
Chandler resident Krystal Griepentrog had waited nine years for Banner Health to be held accountable for what happened to her son during childbirth.
When the deciding moment came, she would have to wait some more.
Last month, a jury found in favor Griepentrog and gave her the largest medical malpractice award in Arizona history: $31,550,825.
“I was watching the video,” attorney Brian Snyder recalled. “I remember sitting there, when the jury foreperson handed it to the clerk, who hands it to the judge. He reads it, then he hands it to the clerk to read the verdict.
“She paused for so long. I remember sitting there in the courtroom, how long it was. But watching it over again, it was even longer. I got nervous a second time – and I knew what happened.”
Snyder and his colleagues from Dordick Law Corp. claimed that Banner and its employee, Dr. Laurie P. Erickson, were negligent in the labor and delivery of Griepentrog’s son, Greyson. Continue reading
An Epidemic has Become a Crisis
Magicians are less prone to mental illness than other creative types, who tend to have higher rates than the general public, the BBC reports. Guess it helps to be able to disappear when you want.
In today’s Daily: What’s worse than fentanyl? Fentanyl + meth + THC + xylazine. The physician leading a team assisting newly released Israeli hostages talks about their needs. Eating disorders increased even more than we thought during the pandemic. And Teenspace will offer free mental health services, virtually, to 400,000 adolescents and teens in New York City.
‘It’s no longer an opioid epidemic. This is an addiction crisis.’
Long-Term ADHD Medication Use Linked to Potential Risk of Cardiovascular Diseases
Long-term exposure to ADHD medication is linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, particularly hypertension and arterial disease, according to a new study.
Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) may have demonstrated ADHD medications effectiveness, but some studies raise concerns about the drug’s cardiovascular safety. Meta-analyses found ADHD medications can slightly increase heart rate and blood pressure. Investigators of a 2015 study wrote how randomized clinical trials typically evaluate short-term effects as the average treatment duration sits at 75 days. Therefore, the increase in blood pressure and heart race ADHD medication causes could potentially lead to cardiovascular disease over time. Continue reading
CANCER, PILLS, INSURANCE, MURDER and MAYHEM! ~ November 22, 2023
Are all ultra-processed foods linked to cancer and diabetes?
The consumption of ultraprocessed foods has been linked to various individual chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Now, a large study confirms that they are also linked to comorbidities, or combinations of such diseases.
The study finds that there is a 9% increase in the likelihood of developing cardiovascular and cardiometabolic comorbidities for those whose diet consists of a significant amount of ultra-processed foods.
The greatest increase in risk, according to the study, was for animal-based products and artificially and sugar-sweetened beverages.
I do think that it is important to communicate to the public that certain subgroups of ultraprocessed foods should be preferred over others. For example, plant-based vs. animal-based products… (Continue to full article)
When insurers turned down patient’s request for cancer treatment, they didn’t know he was a top trial lawyer
In August 2018, Robert Salim and eight of his friends and relatives flew to the steamy heat of New York City to watch the U.S. Open.
The group — most of them lawyers who were old tennis buddies from college — gathered every few years to attend the championship. They raced from court to court to catch as many matches as possible. They hung out at bars, splurged on high-priced meals and caught up on each others’ lives.
But that year, Salim had trouble walking the half-mile from the subway station to the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows without stopping two or three times to rest. Back in his hotel room, he was coughing badly, his phlegm speckled with spots of blood. Although he had kept fit for a 67-year-old, he felt ragged…
Many insurers won’t pay for certain specialized or expensive treatments unless a patient gets approval in advance. Blue Cross and other health plans often farm out those reviews to companies like AIM. The insurance industry maintains such companies keep health care costs down and help patients by rejecting unnecessary and unproven treatments.
Critics say the companies unfairly deny claims, noting that they market themselves to insurers by promising to slash costs… (Continue to full article)
CDC Responds to Claims About Chinese Biolab in California
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has said it “strongly disputes” criticism of the federal agency contained in a major new report, produced by the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), concerning an alleged secret biolab in Reedley, California.
According to the report, thousands of vials containing potentially dangerous or unknown substances, including some labeled “Ebola” and “HIV,” were uncovered during an inspection of what was initially thought to be a vacant warehouse. The facility was uncovered in December 2022 by Jesalyn Harper, a Reedley code enforcement official who spotted a green hose sticking out of the building, and then went in to investigate. Inside, Harper found an array of laboratory equipment, medical-grade freezers, mice for experiments and vials containing writing in English, Mandarin and an unknown code.
Several individuals wearing lab coats were also discovered who claimed to be Chinese nationals (Continue to full article)
Court orders Balance of Nature to stop sales of supplements after FDA lawsuits
A federal court ordered the brand Balance of Nature to stop producing and selling its dietary supplement products this week, after the Food and Drug Administration accused the two Utah-based companies behind it of repeatedly breaking the law in how they made and marketed their supplements.
The FDA says the company marketing Balance of Nature, Evig LLC, and its CEO Lex Howard had flouted years of federal warnings about overstepping limits in what they could claim about diseases their supplements could cure or prevent.
Meanwhile, those responsible for manufacturing the supplements, Premium Productions LLC and its CEO Ryan Petersen, were accused of not doing enough to ensure their products actually contained the ingredients they claimed to.
“We previously warned Evig LLC and Premium Production LLC, but they have demonstrated repeated violations of manufacturing requirements, and the public cannot have confidence that their products are what they purport to be,” Michael Rogers, FDA’s acting associate commissioner for regulatory affairs… (Continue to full article)
Express Scripts announces new ‘cost-plus’ drug pricing model
Express Scripts has announced a new pharmacy network option that offers “cost plus” drug pricing for employers and health plans.
Clients pay the estimated acquisition cost that the pharmacy pays for the medication, plus a small markup for pharmacy dispensing and service costs.
The “cost plus” model option covers all brand, specialty and generic medications on the client’s formulary. Other models in the market offer pricing only on a select group of generics at a small group of pharmacies, Express Scripts said.
Express Scripts is the pharmacy benefits management business of Evernorth, a subsidiary of Cigna. The new pharmacy network option, ClearNetwork is for employers, government organizations and health plans… (Continue to full article)
“Round ’em Up – Move ’em OUT!”
Bayer AG Directed to Pay $1.25 Million in Roundup Cancer Lawsuit
In a verdict from St. Louis, Missouri, Bayer AG has been instructed to compensate John Durnell with $1.25 million. Durnell had initiated a lawsuit against Bayer, asserting that his non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma cancer diagnosis was a direct consequence of prolonged exposure to the company’s Roundup herbicide.
W. Wylie Blair, representing Durnell, highlighted that this verdict disrupts Bayer’s previous record of consecutive victories in 9 Roundup-related trials. Blair emphasized that this was the inaugural trial where the jury was presented with evidence suggesting that components in Roundup, other than its primary ingredient glyphosate, might be carcinogenic.
In response, Bayer announced its intention to challenge the verdict, reiterating its confidence in the safety of Roundup.
Bayer’s attempts to contest plaintiffs’ rights to sue under state law at the U.S. Supreme Court have yet to yield success… (Continue to full article)
Bayer Faces $175 Million Verdict in Another Roundup Cancer Lawsuit
In a recent development, a jury in Philadelphia held Bayer AG accountable for a lawsuit initiated by a retired restaurateur. The plaintiff alleged that his cancer diagnosis was a direct result of prolonged exposure to Bayer’s Roundup herbicide. Following the trial, Bayer has been directed to compensate the plaintiff with a sum of $175 million.
I wonder how many of the 40,000 lawsuits we’ll get to cover in 2024.
The awarded damages comprise $25 million as compensatory damages and an additional $150 million designated as punitive damages.
As with every other similar lawsuit the company is involved in, a Bayer representative reacted to the verdict, expressing disagreement, stating:
“We are confident we can get this unfounded verdict overturned and the excessive damage awards reduced through our appeal”… (Continue to full article)
Roundup Herbicide Ingredient Connected to Epidemic Levels of Chronic Kidney Disease
A researcher takes samples of well water in a rural community of Sri Lanka. Tests indicate that the active ingredient in Roundup may be interacting with the area’s hard water to cause epidemic levels of chronic kidney disease. Credit: Jake Ulrich
For the past couple of decades, tens of thousands of people living in rural Sri Lanka have been devastated by kidney failure due to unclear causes, also known as CKDu. Similar incidences of mysterious kidney diseases have emerged in tropical farming communities around the world.
A massive field study of the wells supplying drinking water to the Sri Lankan communities, conducted by researchers at Duke University, has identified a possible culprit – glyphosate, the active compound in Roundup, the most widely used herbicide in the world.
The results of the study were published in Environmental Science and Technology Letters on September 13, 2023. Continue reading
Survey Findings Paint Grim Picture of Health Care Affordability in the US
Half of the surveyed adults reported difficulty affording their health care, and a large proportion said they delayed or avoided care or medication because they couldn’t afford it, often leading to their health problems worsening.
Half of working-aged adults in the United States report it is somewhat or very difficult to afford their health care costs, according to new data published by the Commonwealth Fund, and these financial pressures can lead them to delay or forgo care, resulting in worse downstream health outcomes. [1] Continue reading
Experts Warn: A Long-Forgotten Disease Could Return in the US – And Have ‘Greater Toll’ Than Most Modern Outbreaks
Some of America’s leading infectious disease experts warn that yellow fever could make a return in the U.S., with the South at the highest risk.
In an editorial published in the New England Journal of Medicine, infectious disease experts Peter J. Hotez, M.D, Ph.D, and Angelle Desiree LaBeaud, M.D warn that clusters of cases recorded over summer are not an outlier, but instead a sign of things to come. Continue reading
Is Your Emotional Intelligence Affecting Your Wellbeing?
McKinsey & Company declared in 2018 that the need for Emotional Intelligence (EI) skills would outpace the demand for cognitive skills through 2030. Meanwhile, the World Economic Forum in 2021 stated that companies must prioritize wellbeing in the workplace. Many individuals lacking in emotional intelligence face several difficulties managing stress-related issues which could end up harming their overall wellbeing. Continue reading
Miss Colorado… Talks About Nursing
She just did something very unique and no one caught it…….she changed how everyone especially young girls dreaming of becoming beauty queens will view this contest and did it with one of the greatest and honorable professions there is!! I hope young people are viewing this and listening to everything she said. Nurses are the greatest!! ~ Cow Lico
Wow! She showed that talent doesn’t have to be an overly entertaining performance… It can also be making a big difference in the lives of people and touching them. There is nothing wrong with normal talents but, I think it’s wonderful that she showed how much of a talent it can be to help others! What an incredible role model!! ~ Ashleigh Ware
I wish there were more nurses that pursued nursing because they have a genuine interest in taking care of others. A valuable nurse is one that has great concern for the welfare of others. As a patient, I found that it was largely the older, more experience nurses that exuded confidence. They also seem to have a greater understanding of the impact they make on the daily lives of each of their patients. As a patient in a hospital, you are quite vulnerable and dependent on a nurse not only for physical assistance but emotional assistance as well. In the sense that, a nurse’s behavior has a huge impact on a patient. When you are fighting for your life, the more positive, encouraging and kind one can be – the better for the vitality of the patient. It’s not just about the chart. This is true of doctors just as much as nurses. I’m sure that I am not alone when I say that it is quite offensive when nurses/doctors do their rounds and just look at your chart and then walk out… To those of you who perform your jobs this way, please be more compassionate. You are important to each of your patients. Your job is essential and highly valued by patients. ~ Facts Matter
Surgeon: Medicine Is Lost in the Wilderness
I once was proud of my profession. I spent over 40 years as a clinician, educator, and researcher and for most of that time thought I was engaged in a noble calling. But all that has changed in the last 3 years. Medicine is LOST in The Wilderness.
There were warning signals, to be sure. For many years I was heavily involved in medical associations on the local, state, and national levels. Gradually I became disillusioned when I saw that many of my colleagues who gravitated to this activity did not share my views. They enjoyed the politics of medicine. In fact, they enjoyed it too much. I lost interest. Perhaps in retrospect that was part of the problem. The policy of medicine gradually became the politics of medicine. And as is often the case, where there is politics there is also corruption. Continue reading
US Surgeons Are Killing Themselves at an Alarming Rate
One decided to speak out…
The grueling profession has long kept silent about mental distress. After losing a friend and quietly grappling with illness, Carrie Cunningham found a new way to save lives
Carrie Cunningham puffed out her cheeks and exhaled. She looked out at the audience filled with 2,000 of her peers, surgeons who were attending the annual meeting of the Association of Academic Surgery, a prestigious gathering of specialists from universities across the United States and Canada.
Cunningham, president of the organization, knew what she was about to reveal could cost her promotions, patients and professional standing. She took a deep breath.
“I was the top junior tennis player in the United States,” she began. “I am an associate professor of surgery at Harvard.
“But I am also human. I am a person with lifelong depression, anxiety, and now a substance use disorder.”
The room fell silent.
Cunningham knew others in the room were struggling, too. Doctors are dying by suicide at higher rates than the general population. Somewhere between 300 to 400 physicians a year in the US take their own lives, the equivalent of one medical school graduating class annually. Continue reading
The Real Reason Drugs Cost So Much — and Do Too Little
We’re still going to be paying too much for the wrong drugs.
Until 2003, Medicare covered most hospital and doctor visits for the elderly, but it did not cover the ever-growing costs of prescription medications. Former President George W. Bush changed that when he signed a law adding prescription drug coverage to Medicare.
But there was a catch… (Continue to full column…)