Sex, Drugs, and Rock-n-Roll

Periodically, friends and family come to me seeking understanding about various medical and health related issues, which often includes information about procedures and medications.

And on occasion, I continue to be asked to identify certain medications.

Particularly problematic are the numerous herbs and Over The Counter (OTC) non-prescription remedies that neither treat nor cure, yet proliferate and line the pockets of those unscrupulous enough to market and sell them to the unsuspectingly ignorant.

On one such occasion, I was asked by a friend to identify several foreign concoctions of apparent Asian origin, which I succeed in identifying, though I suspect I merely added levity to our communication. Fortunately, the request wasn’t anything of any seriously substantial nature.

It’s becoming more difficult to identify many items, though I count myself fortunate to have access to the numerous resources I do.

Here’s the text of my response. Perhaps you’ll find it enlightening.

Troy King claims Pharmacy Lawsuits Frivolous – OR – “I practice law AND (bad) medicine!”

Using my “Bob Riley and Troy King: The Saga Continues” post on Monday, February 1, 2010, as a guide, I crafted a “Letter to the Editor” (LTE) which was published by “The Times Daily,” a Florence, AL area newspaper serving the Shoals area and greater Northwest Alabama.

Here, in its entirety is the letter. I have redacted my name – though if you ask politely, via e-mail, I will share. I have nothing to hide.

“Alabama Attorney General Troy King has recently come under fire for requesting judges in five counties to

“Paging ‘American Healthcare Reform,’ paging ‘American Healthcare Reform’… you’re needed in the OTC Pharmacy – STAT!”

[ed. note: I wrote this post accompanying some photos I’d made and posted to my Flickr site back around October 2009.]

He wanted some OTC ranitidine. I told him, “Get omeprazole!” But he didn’t, saying he wanted more rapid relief.

So… guess what!?!

It just so happened, that at the checkout stand in front of us was a Big Pharma sales rep. She said, “Use this!,” and pulled out

Come… and Go

And are you aware, that pound-for-pound, Viagra is MORE expensive than a fully loaded Mercedes-Benz S550 4Matic?

A fully-dressed, 2005 Mercedes-Benz S550 4Matic (their top-of-the-line/flagship luxury sedan) weighs