Second Opinion

For years pharmaceutical companies have provide gifts and kickbacks to doctors who prescribed their drugs. Medical device manufacturers are now playing the same game and it’s costing all of us.

Asking health care providers a simple question is surprisingly accurate at predicting how long a person has to live and this information can make a big difference in how people chose to live what time they have left.

It is time to re-look at laws intended to protect victims of domestic violence as they have had unintended consequences

Involuntary hospitalization is not an easy decision to make and involves balancing ethical, moral and legal issues while trying to protect a person and society.

It turns out the number of days providers treat common infections with an antibiotic is simply too long.

For years there has been a symbiotic relationship between these two giants but its time for increased transparency and some guiderails governing appropriate behaviors.

Making a diagnosis of a mental illness can be difficult and there is a great overlap between normal and illness.

Like any drug, cannabis has risks and benefits. Unfortunately, we are still limited in our knowledge of both.

Palliative care has much to offer in wrap-around services but it is being enormously underused particularly for people with illnesses other than cancer.

A new law requires all medical records including clinician’s notes to be freely available to patients. Depending on your perspective this is either a long overdue transparency benefit or a hinderance to good medical care.

Why is that results from drug research studies are so much rosier than the experience using those same drugs in the real world?

Long acting reversible contraceptive (LARC’s) are under-used and often too expensive for many women – but this significantly restricts a woman’s contraceptive autonomy. 

There as been lots of controversy on the health impact of eating eggs but some recent good studies suggest we may finally be reaching consensus.

Sex workers often experience stigma both related to their occupation as well as to mental health issues they may face.

While it often seems better to do something, there are times when it may be better to do nothing – such as taking Vitamin D or Homeopathic medicines.

Sometimes it seems that we risk being overwhelmed by all that is thrown at us. But, resiliency is an important life skill that can be learned from interacting with those who are resilient.

Next time you are being prescribed a drug or offered a procedure, ask the doctor, “what does research suggest is the likely benefit I can expect from this intervention”?

Each year the Lown Institute calls for nominations from health care experts, journalists and others.  This year an outstanding panel of judges selected 10 egregious examples of profiteering. 

Are some people more deserving than others?  Should queues and priorities apply to everyone or should some people be able to jump ahead?

While it depends on the pain and the cause, on average surgery for chronic musculoskeletal pain does not result in less pain compared to those who received no surgery.

Choices of who gets limited resources in health care are never easy as there are bound to be winners and losers.  But, rationing policies need to be open and involve the stakeholders.

This friendly phrase can send the wrong message.

Wastewater-based epidemiology is an approach to providing real-time information on our exposure to certain diseases using pooled waste water extraction (aka “sewage”).

Superstitions and magical thinking can help protect us from what we know is out ther

Research shows that DV increases during hard economic times, social isolation, and around the holidays – creating a perfect storm.