Every time a commercial for Lyrica comes on I cringe, and then I quickly change the channel. I have not seen a single commercial to which I could actually relate to the actor trying to pass themselves off as a Fibromyalgia patient and sufferer. They irritate me to no end, and yes I have considered that it is possibly because I choose to be drug free, and I have made no secret about my disdain for drug companies, but mostly I think it is because the actors and the commercials are not true representations of a person living with Fibromyalgia. Take the latest ad for example: Lady walking … [Read more...]
Hospital Chief of Acute Pain Fabricated Medical Studies on Lyrica
It is tragic the lengths medical professionals will go to to continue receiving funding from big pharmaceutical companies. This story demonstrates the corruption in the medical community which stems from pharmaceutical companies having too much influence and political power. Of course it was the unethical practice of Dr. Reuben that is featured in this story, but he is just a symptom of a much larger problem - not that I am excusing his behavior in any way. Here is the article from the Wall Street Journal's Health Blog. By Sarah Rubenstein We’ve followed plenty of controversies around … [Read more...]
My List of 10
In a recent edition of Fibromyalgia Aware magazine there was an article titled "10 Things You Should Never Say to a Fibromyalgia Patient," by Linda Meilink. Here are the ten things she listed: 1. I think I have that too. 2. My sister-in-law has fibromyalgia and she's still working. She says it helps to take her mind off the pain. 3. But you look okay. 4. Is that a real disease. 5. Maybe you just need some B vitamins. 6. Do you have any percocet? I could sure use one right now. 7. Well, we all start to ache when we get older. 8. Can you hold this box for me? I can't find … [Read more...]
The Commerce of Fibromyalgia
Have you ever read The Road to Wellville by T.C. Boyle? If you have not, you should. It is a wickedly comic novel written by the most entertaining of contemporary American writers. This whole business with Dr. Whitcomb, and his Lake Tahoe clinic, and his false promises of a cure for Fibromyalgia is reminiscent of it. The real-life Dr. John Harvey Kellogg is fictionalized into one of the main characters in Boyle's The Road to Wellville. You might know Dr. Kellogg from the Corn Flakes you crunch occasionally for breakfast. Yes, that most famous of breakfast cereals was actually invented … [Read more...]