Aviation, Trucking Regulators Warned About Dangers of Pfizer Drug

Smoking cessation drug Pfizer comes with more than a few side effects

Pfizer’s new smoking cessation drug, Chantix, has hit a few bumps in the road since it received FDA approval in May 2006. The drug’s sales have been stumbling since this the FDA announced new label warnings were necessary due to increasing evidence that drug triggers changes in behavior and suicidal tendencies in some patients. Now, other potentially dangerous side effects are coming to light, but you wouldn’t know it from their adorable television commercials.

On Wednesday, a study was released by the not-for-profit organization, the Institute on Safe Medication Practices. It blasted the drug for adverse reactions such as “serious accidents and falls, potentially lethal cardiac rhythm disturbances, severe skin reactions, acute myocardial infarction, seizures, abnormal muscle spasms/movements, visual disturbances, diabetes, sudden losses of consciousness, psychosis, aggression and suicide.” The drug accounted for 988 reports of serious injuries in the 4th quarter of 2007, […]

Pool Season Safety

The summer season is pool season. Many of us will shed the layers of clothes we’ve been hiding under all winter to soak up some sun and catch a few waves (or, if you are more like me, find a giant raft to lazily float around on!)

Pools can be a lot of fun, but we all know that they pose a lot of risks, too. The risks are even greater when there are children involved. Accidental drowning is the #2 killer of children up to the age of 14. So as you are gearing up for pool season this year, remember to take into account the potential dangers that are lurking in the water, and prepare your kids to have fun- safely!

Here are some tips:

• (This is a no-brainer) Never leave your kids unattended in or around the water, and make sure an adult is present at all times. […]

Surgery on Holiday?

A few years back, we starting hearing about “medical tourism.” It’s basically when folks travel to other countries such as Thailand and India for surgery or other types of medical care.

Now, we’ve heard arguments both for and against it; however, none so interesting as the insight provided this Texas orthopedic surgeon, which you could watch here.

He actually says that one reason patients shouldn’t go overseas and pay a fraction of U.S. medical costs (50-80% less, even after travel expenses) because of the question, “Is there legal recourse for the patient?”

Did he really just say that? It seemed odd to us that a doctor practicing in a state that fought so hard to limit an injured patient’s legal recourse, that this would really be a concern for him. Why would it worry him that patients be denied access to “frivolous” […]

Spring Ramblings

I was driving home from work yesterday on a beautiful afternoon, and it got me to thinking. Now that the weather is warmer and spring is in full swing, I have noticed that all of the kids in my neighborhood are playing outside more, and taking advantaged of the extended daylight. For them, it is finally time to test out that new bike that Santa brought last winter.

I can remember these days as a kid, when school was drawing to a close, and I’d hit the streets atop my favorite bike just to feel the fresh breeze through my hair. Now in my mind’s eye, it is perfect, but as a grown, responsible adult, I notice that there was something wrong with that picture- no helmet! The fact is today we know that bike helmets work. They save lives and protect kids from some pretty serious injuries by as much as 88%. […]

HIPAA- A Barrier Between You & Your Medical Records?

Back in 1996, when the Health Insurance and Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was signed into law, the intention of the law (especially Title IV) was to protect a patient’s right to privacy, reduce fraudulent activity, streamline data systems and improve the health insurance system overall.

For years prior to the law’s passage, there was no federal standard for obtaining your medical records. Without the patient’s knowledge, records were being given to insurance companies, sent to landfills or just flat-out lost. Alerted by highly publicized lapses in medical record confidentiality (a garbage truck crash that sent medical records flying all over the highways, a doctor selling a computer without deleting patient information from the hard drive, and the list went on and on), lawmakers decided a better system was needed. So the whole theory behind HIPAA regs are that your medical records are just that, […]