Product News and Recalls

Journalist: Psychiatry drug claims based on dodgy science

In an interview with Mother Board, journalist Robert Whitaker discusses the troublesome relationship between big pharmaceutical companies and the medical professionals who prescribe drugs meant to treat mental disorders.

Whitaker explores that relationship in his book Anatomy of an Epidemic. He said he first came across evidence casting doubt on the “chemical imbalance” theory of psychiatric illness when he was doing research for a Boston Globe series.

In the interview, Whitaker pointed ...

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FDA fails to track medical devices

A piece in the Denver Post faults the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s minimal monitoring of medical devices, and says the existing system leads to injuries and deaths from faulty devices allowed to remain on the market.

According to the article, prescription drugs have unique codes that can be used to track problems. But medical devices have no such identifiers and the FDA doesn’t even know how many devices are implanted ...

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Compound in fruits, vegetables fights blood clots

The compound rutin — found in many fruits and vegetables including apples, berries, citrus fruits and onions – can be effective in preventing blood clots, according to the Fox News report.

The report concerns a study out of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.

Researchers were looking for a compound that could block the action of a protein called disulfide isomerase (PDI), a clotting agent that’s rapidly secreted when a clot ...

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Study: ‘Magnetic therapy’ for depression shows promise

A report in England’s Daily Mail mentions “magnetic therapy” — a promising new form of depression treatment that doesn’t involve brain-altering drugs or invasive procedures.

The report cites a study by researchers from the University of California Los Angeles, who tested NeuroStar TMS Therapy. The treatment works by beaming magnetic pulses through the skull, which trigger small electrical charges that spark brain cells.

Tests on more than 300 patients with severe depression ...

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Panel on mental illness manual criticized

A panel of psychiatrists charged with updating the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or DSM, is being criticized over delays, disorganization and secrecy, the Washington Post reports.

Some critics allege that panel members are too inclined to create an official diagnosis for symptoms or behaviors that don’t necessarily amount to mental disorders.

According to the report, the issue is important because the DSM plays an enormous role in diagnosing mental ...

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Mysterious skin lesions appear in Pa. Marcellus shale country

A recent National Public Radio report examines the possible link between natural gas extraction in Pennsylvania’s shale country, and skin lesions that people who live in those areas are experiencing.

The report follows plastic and reconstructive surgeon Dr. Amy Pare, who treated a resident in the Washington county village of Rae who suffered boil-like skin lesions, mostly on her hands and face.

Pare said the lesions occurred on several other people in the area. Several pathologists who examined biopsies were able to ...

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