A law is a rule of conduct or action formally recognized as binding and enforced by a controlling authority. Law enforcement broadly refers to any system by which some members of society act in an organized manner to promote adherence to the law by discovering and punishing persons who violate the rules governing that society.
The purposes of punishment for crimes include:
1. Punishment will stop them from committing further crimes.
2. Punishment ...
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Physicians who liberally prescribe empiric antibiotics are often maligned as irresponsible or unthinking by condescending colleagues and policy wonks. But are these doctors actually courageous and prudent, saving countless thousands of lives every year by refusing to bend to misguided pressure from antibiotic-conserving paper-pushers?
As antibiotic resistance has emerged, many hospitals have begun requiring physicians to provide a rationale for every antibiotic dose prescribed. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) ...
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More than 80 percent of the United States supply of heparin, a commonly used blood thinner, originates from pigs reared in farm co-ops in China. Farmers scrape mucus from the intestines and send it to central processing facilities, where heparin is extracted and purified before being sold to U.S. pharmaceutical companies.
But in 2007, blue-ear pig disease, causing a respiratory syndrome, became endemic in Asia—leading to a shortage of pigs ...
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Narcotic pain medication prescribing is an issue heavily laden with emotion these days. I have observed that most doctors tend to fall on one side of a spectrum bordered by these two extremes:
"Undertreated pain is worse than addiction."
On one end is the doctor who is deeply, morally troubled by patients in pain. This doctor is not unaware of the risk of addiction but is willing to risk being taken advantage ...
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The section of the Affordable Care Act, which calls for the creation of the biosimilar pathway, was recently upheld by the Supreme Court. While not as headline-worthy as the news surrounding the individual mandate, the fact that the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act (BPCIA) provision survived the process was significant for the biotech world.
Biologics are some of the best treatment options for serious medical conditions such as cancer, autoimmune ...
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E-cigarettes seem to be a very popular product these days, so I thought I’d do a bit of research to figure out what the heck an e-cigarette is and to try to answer the question, “Are e-cigarettes safe?”
It appears that the primary reason people use e-cigarettes is to avoid smoking, either as a way to get their nicotine in areas where smoking is prohibited, or as a means to try ...
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Media outlets are reporting the results of a small, but very important study regarding a new treatment for Alzheimer's Disease. Most Americans are familiar with Alzheimer's because it is so common (President Reagan had it), so devastating, and without a cure. This new study gives hope to people who have or are at risk for the disease.
Recently at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference 2012 in Vancouver, researchers presented the ...
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One summer in college, when I couldn't think of what else to do, I lived near campus in a punishingly hot walk up apartment, held down three boring jobs, and took intensive Latin. Every morning we met in a blissfully air-conditioned classroom--that was the upside!-- to conjugate and decline: a whole year of Latin in 6 weeks. I remember nothing I learned, of course. I'm reminded of the great Woody ...
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Most of the American public doesn’t know that different pharmacies can and do charge drastically different prices for their prescription drugs. Does that surprise you? It sure surprised me when I found this out a few months ago in my medical school class.
I consider myself well educated. I’m a college graduate and in the throes of professional school -- in healthcare nonetheless. I have an open mind and I read quite ...
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I am acutely aware of the obesity epidemic in this country. I’ve posted previously about how obesity may have surpassed smoking as the #1 preventabe cause of death in the U.S. Still the FDA approval today of Belviq, a sertonergic drug that brings back memories of Fen-Phen, Meridia and Redux (dexfenfluoramine) over concerns with their association with valvular heart disease, pulmonary hypertension ...
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"A comprehensive and extremely useful roadmap for doctors."
-Eric Topol, MD, author of The Creative Destruction of Medicine
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Past 6 Months
Dear lawmakers: This is what it’s like to be a doctor today
Matthew Moeller, MD | PhysicianA gun owner responds to Sandy Hook
Edwin Leap, MD | PhysicianIs Chris Christie too obese to run for president?
Jeffrey Parks, MD | PhysicianIf I’m wrong about guns, can you please explain why?
Claire McCarthy, MD | PhysicianPrimary care doctors may no longer be needed
Doug Olson, MD | PhysicianWalgreens moves into primary care, and it’s our own damn fault
Kevin Pho, MD | Kevin's Take