Editorial Note: The last three posts give examples of medical kidnapping happening now. The Doctor Munchausen series of posts on David Healy in July and August 2014 give some more examples. This post and two to follow outline how we ended up in a position where people can be kidnapped. Medical Kidnapping goes back a bit. In 1706, Daniel Defoe, perhaps the first journalist and, … [Read more...] about The History of Medical Kidnapping
Kidnapped: In England
Editorial Note: The post below is by Simon Hattenstone and appeared in the Guardian on April 2nd. It fits into the Kidnapped sequence and allows us to draw attention to the #JusticeforLB campaign (Laughing Boy). Once again the point is this could be you or me, could be cardiac or orthopedic or any branch of medicine. We need an up to date version of Buffy Sainte Marie's … [Read more...] about Kidnapped: In England
Human Rights Should Be For Everyone
Editorial Note: This post is by Franke James, Teresa's sister. The reaction in the US or UK is that things like this couldn't happen here. Part of the reason no one can believe that treatment is being forced on people who don't need it is that many of us have the experience of not being able to access treatment when we need it. This paradox is central to what is happening. … [Read more...] about Human Rights Should Be For Everyone
Kidnapped: Arthur Hippe
Editorial Note: This post by Lois Sampson, an Elders' Rights Advocate with the Seniors At Risk Coalition, is the first of several on this theme. The message for readers who think that neither they nor their relatives have been or are likely to be in the position that Arthur Hippe was in is that Arthur's is the kind of case where the kidnapping can be seen, yours or your … [Read more...] about Kidnapped: Arthur Hippe
Medication and Withdrawal
The RxISK website has been undergoing major renovation. There is still a great deal of work going on behind the scenes to look at new ideas and better ways to make available the best tools and information about prescription drug side effects. The old site had a Symptoms on Stopping Zone – a Withdrawal Zone. Withdrawal is an important feature of RxISK, so we are hoping to … [Read more...] about Medication and Withdrawal
Life Unarmed
Editorial Note from Johanna Ryan: Matthew Purinton has been a patient all his life – but if that word suggests to you a passive person awaiting rescue, think again. As a child born with a rare and seemingly overwhelming set of disabilities, he and his parents signed up for some of the most radical interventions modern medicine has to offer. Those surgeries gave him the chance … [Read more...] about Life Unarmed
It’s alright Ma, I’m only Punding: Stimulants and Compulsions
This post by Johanna Ryan touches on the problems of compulsive gambling and other compulsive behaviors that are linked to Abilify, SSRIs and Dopamine Agonists and also to Dopamine Agonist Withdrawal Syndrome (DAWS). It was Lester Grinspoon’s 1975 book The Speed Culture that introduced me to the concept of “punding”: a drug-induced compulsion for repetitive, sometimes … [Read more...] about It’s alright Ma, I’m only Punding: Stimulants and Compulsions
United States of Adderall
Ed Note: This post is by Johanna Ryan who covers most of our stimulant related topics. Dr. Larry Diller is a pediatrician who specializes in children’s behavioral problems, especially Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). He’s by no means anti-medication; he has prescribed stimulants to kids for decades. But twenty years ago he was already concerned about their … [Read more...] about United States of Adderall
Flox-Tox; Guerilla Guide
Editorial Note: Twenty-five years ago, Diane Fried took Floxin, a fluoroquinolone antibiotic and a predecessor of Levaquin and Cipro, and was severely damaged as a consequence, leading her husband to write Bitter Pills. Three years ago we featured two posts on fluoroquinolone antibiotic problems. We have also featured posts on the closely related Lariam - mefloquine - and its … [Read more...] about Flox-Tox; Guerilla Guide
This Present Madness
This Present Madness was published in November. During the rehearsal of an all-star high school band near Dallas, Texas, a gunman enters the practice hall and starts firing with a semi-automatic shotgun. His attack is deadly. It is the worst mass shooting in US history. The blame for it, as usual, is attributed to the extensive ownership of guns in American society. After … [Read more...] about This Present Madness