New Drugs Have Allure, Not Track Record

This report was in the New York Times Online – May 18, 2009
My favorite excerpt – “No wonder: drug company spending on consumer advertising skyrocketed 330 percent from 1996 to 2005, according to a 2007 study in The New England Journal of Medicine.”

By Richard A Friedman, MD

Recently, one of my residents told me about a patient with bipolar disorder whose psychiatrist had prescribed an exotic cocktail of drugs, a new mood stabilizer and the latest anti-psychotic medication.

I was puzzled — not by her case, which the resident described as textbook manic depression, but by what was left out. This patient, it seems, was never offered lithium, the single most effective treatment for bipolar disorder.

via Mind – New Drugs Have Allure, Not Track Record – NYTimes.com.

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Diva Guide: Safer Lipstick Options – Lipsick Love

By Tania Reuben

With the Canadian government banning two common lipstick ingredients and questions surrounding lead and it’s use in lipsticks.

A guide to the safe selection of lipstick is in order.

The suggested choices have a maximum hazard rating of 4 in the EWG Cosmetics Database – 4 is on the low end of a moderate hazard rating(4-6). There were so many choices that rated 4 and under, it didn’t seem necessary to add hazards. Also, given that lipsticks are worn on our mouth – better safe than sorry.

Diva Top Picks:
NVEY Eco Organic Lip Lustre
Burt’s Bees Lipstick
Organic Wear Lip Veil & Organic Wear Lip Gloss

Other Options:
MAC Matte Lipstick, Glaze Lipstick, Satin Lipstick, Cream Lipstick and Frosted Lipstick
DuWop Shades of Venomn & Anti-Venom Satin
Bare Escentuals Lipsticks

Value Selection;
Covergirl Continous Color Cream & Covergirl Outlast All Day Lipcolor

Shop carefully – many of these companies have a number of lipstick offerings – pick another Covergirl Lipstick and you may be selecting a 7 or 8 on the EWG hazard rating.

To Look up your lipstick, see how it rates with EWG – click here.

Diva Guide: Safer Lipstick Options – Lipsick Love