VeriBlog
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Talking Taboo: Opioid Abuse on the Rise
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The “opioid epidemic” is a growing problem in the United States. The state of Virginia declared a public health emergency relating to abuse of such substances, Google search data shows a higher rate of searches for the heroin treatment Suboxone than for any other prescription drug in the US, and new articles and studies are…
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Social Desirability and The Donald
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Very few people saw this coming. You could argue that undecided, silent voters are to blame, or maybe it’s the “overconfidence” of the Democratic party. Sure, those were factors, but it could also be a bit of a chicken and egg phenomenon, as the Dems certainly had confidence in part due to the consistent lead…
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Coming Up Next: How do Doctors Talk about the Drug Pipeline?
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]When we talk about the drug pipeline, we’re talking about the future. Pipeline drugs are often the newest medical advancements that scientists are still in the process of testing for safety or efficacy. As doctors can’t generally prescribe pipeline drugs, I wasn’t expecting them to come up very often in in-office dialogues. But as I’ve…
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Zombie, Walkers, and The Walking Dead: Exploring In-Office Constructs of Meaning
[vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1602579158927{border-bottom-width: 1px !important;border-bottom-color: #eeeeee !important;border-bottom-style: solid !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text]The impending return of AMC’s The Walking Dead on October 23rd, with its portrayal of flesh-eating, swarming zombies, or “walkers” as they’ve been coined, has me thinking about how we use that term in our daily lives. Or more specifically, what do patients and physicians actually mean when…
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Talking Taboo: Election Politics in the Exam Room
[vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1602574600283{border-bottom-width: 1px !important;border-bottom-color: #eeeeee !important;border-bottom-style: solid !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text]With the first two debates in the books and a third fast approaching, you may be thinking to yourself: “I don’t care for either one of those people.” You most likely wouldn’t be alone. The undecided voter gained a face with Ken Bone during an earlier presidential debate,…
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Are new drugs really that bad for patients?
[vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1602574600283{border-bottom-width: 1px !important;border-bottom-color: #eeeeee !important;border-bottom-style: solid !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text]In his article “New Drugs are Often Bad for Patients, Great for Pharma”, Allen Francis, Professor Emeritus at Duke University, makes the following statements:[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1602574600283{border-bottom-width: 1px !important;border-bottom-color: #eeeeee !important;border-bottom-style: solid !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1602575235890{border-left-width: 2px !important;padding-left: 25px !important;border-left-color: #000000 !important;border-left-style: solid !important;}”]“Pharma research has failed to produce much real progress…
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The Power Behind Hope: Magic versus Miracle
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]What is the “magic pill”? Does it exist? The (very) short answer is no. But don’t worry- “miracle pills” might! So what’s the difference between a magic pill and a miracle pill, and how do doctors and patients feel about them?