RxISK

Making Medicines Safer for All of Us

Withdrawal

Withdrawal Mysteries. Jon and Justin’s Journeys

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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

Sexual Mysteries. What is in a Touch?

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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?

The Window to the Body and perhaps the Soul

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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

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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

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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

What Twitter doesn’t Want you to Know about Sex

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This brief post links to a development since the last - Everything you Want to Know about Sex - post. Twitter like Woody Allen seems to believe you shouldn't be allowed to ask certain questions. A few weeks ago I did a podcast with Liz Tucker on her What Your GP Doesn't Tell You podcast series - which has a lot of stellar interviews.  It took a while to edit, finally … [Read more...] about What Twitter doesn’t Want you to Know about Sex

Twas the NICE before Christmas.

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To the Sounds of a Drum © Nina Otulakowski November 2022 This letter, which has had no response, needs to be read in conjunction with Can you Hear the Suzerain Call? Letter to Dr S Roberts, CEO, Ms Nebhrajani, Chair, NICE November 30 2022 Dear Drs Roberts and Ms. Nebhrajani I wrote to your predecessors Dr Haslam and Mr. Dillon just under 3 years ago about the issues of … [Read more...] about Twas the NICE before Christmas.