Monthly Archive for August, 2007
The Cigarette Century and Beyond
We needed a truthful account of how cigarettes have become the highest selling addictive drug in the history of the human race, lawfully. Alan Brandt, Harvard Professor of History of Medicine and Science, and author of the recently published "The Cigarette Century - The Rise, Fall, and Deadly Persistence of the Product That Defined America" tells us the extra-ordinary story of the rise of the "modern cigarette" in the 20th century. Dr. Brandt is one of the U.S.'s leading expert witnesses for federal and state tobacco-related lawsuits, after spending nearly twenty years researching on this topic. In the 2004 U.S. vs. Philip Morris trial, Dr. Brandt was cross-examined for nearly two days, and for the first time in U.S. history, tobacco companies were found to have breached Federal statutes on racketeering. Dr. Brandt was quoted 200 times in the verdict, apparently.
Brain Blogging, Sixteenth Edition
Welcome to the sixteenth edition of Brain Blogging -- a semi-monthly blog carnival that aims to review posts "related to the brain and mind that go beyond the basic sciences into a more human and multidimensional perspective."
A Patient is Not a Consumer
I'm going out on a limb here but in many respects, a patient is not a consumer. Most of the changes in the medical system are based on the consumer model of healthcare. The problem with the consumer model is that medical service is not like buying a product from Wal-Mart. You can't return it when it malfunctions. There is no lifetime warranty. There are no guarantees. It is almost impossible to compare services of one physician to another. Every surgeon or physician practices a little different. It is difficult to define what is the "best" service or product.
The Kampo boom, traditional Japanese phytotherapy comes of age
Of the many ancient holistic medical systems that have withstood the test of time, Kampo is one of the more successful ones, particularly in Japan. In a nationwide study of Japanese mainstream medical practitioners performed in October 2000, 72 percent regularly used Kampo medicines. Today, nearly 150 Kampo drugs are available for reimbursement under Japan's National Health Insurance (NHI) program. Kampo is slowly making inroads into the West as well.
Popular Posts
- Mind Games - Science's Attempts at Thought Control
- The Science of Stuttering
- Risks of Personalized Medicine
- Intelligence - Are You Holding Back Your Brain?
- Is Grief a Mental Illness?
- The Brain's Buying Power
- The Cost of a Good Night's Sleep
- Inside Your Brain on Holiday
- Risk Factors for Recurrence of Depression
- Salvia Divinorum - DEA Control over Magic in the Mint
Future Posts
Latest Posts
- Intelligence – Do You Need it to be Successful?
- A Trip for Terminal Patients
- Memory Ain’t What It Used to Be – And That’s Good for Psychotherapy
- The Science of Stuttering
- Are Your Friends Making You Fat?
- Beer – The Smarter Drink
- Macroeconomics and Suicide
- From Nymphomania to Hypersexuality
- Commitment – It’s the new Love
- Religion and Depression – Cause or Effect?
Comments
- david: I think you did an excellent j
- bikash12: I think you did an excellent j
- Veronica Pamoukaghlian, MA: Thank you for your insightful
- Richard Kensinger, MSW: I agree w/ Howard Gardner's pe
- Melbzi: Muso's and smoked pot.I q
- Melbzi: I am 36 and from Melbourne Aus
- CODER: When we get sick, really sick
- Rusti Hauge: I don't see any evidence to th
- david: Fantastic content, being in Pr
- Kevan Henson: Write to me.Kevan Henson
- Kevan Henson: Tbi's are the way of your daug
- Kevan Henson: Tbi's suck because now we are
