I had to give some workshops a few years ago to media students and either while thinking about what to say or in the middle of saying it, or soon after, it hit me that good doctoring has a lot in common with good journalism. Both hinge on getting the story right and key to that is having a real person whom others can contact to check out the story they have been told about … [Read more...] about Could Journalists be Doctors in Disguise
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Pyridoxal-5-Phosphate and Akathisia
This post came from a regular contributor to RxISK and DH posts. An earlier comment pointed to something interesting and has developed into this post which should be of interest to anyone who has a withdrawal problem that entails some kind of akathisia. When I came out of a psychiatric hospital in Summer 2019, I had been on zopiclone for a good 6 months. For most of that … [Read more...] about Pyridoxal-5-Phosphate and Akathisia
Withdrawal Mysteries. Jon and Justin’s Journeys
Being Hooked to and having to Withdraw from Antidepressants, especially any that act on the serotonin system, is one of the greatest public health issues of our day. Close to 15 per cent of the population of most Western countries are affected. Peter Groot and colleagues in the Netherlands have done more than anyone to raise the profile of these issues by providing a method … [Read more...] about Withdrawal Mysteries. Jon and Justin’s Journeys
International Society of Sexual Medicine
This weeks post was supposed to be just about Sexual Mysteries. What's in a Touch? As it was waiting to be posted, a controversy blew up about the International Society of Sexual Medicine and claims by Dr Anita Clayton that there is no such thing as PSSD. There did not seem to be enough for a post in its own right but equally it seemed to make sense to say something and … [Read more...] about International Society of Sexual Medicine
Sexual Mysteries. What is in a Touch?
This is an important post for anyone hunting for a test for PSSD. If the CT fibres mentioned here are not fibres that show up distinctly on either skin biopsy or CCM, then these tests may not pick up a very real problem. We need some research on whether CT fibres show around the ankle or in the cornea. The slide above is from a fascinating lecture on Affective Touch by Francis … [Read more...] about Sexual Mysteries. What is in a Touch?
PSSD Patients Needed for CCM Investigation
A brief recap In October 2022, we ran a blog post aimed at recruiting patients in the UK with post-SSRI sexual dysfunction (PSSD) who could be tested for small fibre neuropathy. This was to be done by skin biopsy which is the standard method for investigating the condition. The project was in response to information provided by a Finnish PSSD group in which several members … [Read more...] about PSSD Patients Needed for CCM Investigation
The Day the Science Died
Back in October 2021, I was talking to Patrick about ADHD and his book Obedience Pills. ADHD has since become a very big and polarizing issue in the UK. Katinka Newman has had a prominent and hard-hitting article in the Daily Mail two weeks ago on these issues. There have been earlier RxISK posts on ADHD Nation, and Is there such a thing as Adult ADHD and many posts on the … [Read more...] about The Day the Science Died
The Window to the Body and perhaps the Soul
It might sound corny but it has long been said that our Eyes are the Window to our Soul. Whatever about the soul, every medical student gets told by ophthalmologists that the Eyes are the Window to the Body. They claim to be able to detect almost every possible disease by looking at our eyes. Just over a decade ago, Corneal Confocal Microscopy (CCM) came into view. See CCM - … [Read more...] about The Window to the Body and perhaps the Soul
Touch Fibres, Autonomic Fibres and Kissing
Someone, who regularly emails breaking research that I haven't spotted or don't have time to spot, got in touch recently with great insights on an article about Kisspeptin that I had seen. But I had managed to miss several things he spotted that may be important to anyone thinking about PSSD. A Kiss Before Sex The article reported a clinical trial on the Effects of Kisspeptin … [Read more...] about Touch Fibres, Autonomic Fibres and Kissing
Benzodiazepine Facebook and Other Groups
Nicole Lamberson who will be familiar to many from Medicating Normal asked Barbara Connolly from Benzo Warrior to write a piece on Benzo Support Groups especially linked to Facebook. This was to fill a benzodiazepine shapeed hole in the DD and AA group post. Nicole Lamberson asked me to write something about what a good benzo FB group can offer from the vantage of the … [Read more...] about Benzodiazepine Facebook and Other Groups