medicine

"Bad Pharma: How Drug Companies Mislead Doctors and Harm Patients" by Ben Goldacre

Joe Donahue — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 15:35:00 +0000

We like to imagine that medicine is based on evidence and the results of fair testing and clinical trials. In reality, those tests and trials are often profoundly flawed. We like to imagine that doctors who write prescriptions for everything from antidepressants to cancer drugs to heart medication are familiar with the research literature about a drug, when in reality much of the research is hidden from them by drug companies.

With Ben Goldacre’s characteristic flair and a forensic attention to detail, Bad Pharma: How Drug Companies Mislead Doctors and Harm Patients reveals a shockingly broken system and calls for regulation. This is the pharmaceutical industry as it has never been seen before.

"Bleeder" by Shelby Smoak

Joe Donahue — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 15:35:00 +0000

In 1985, Shelby Smoak was diagnosed HIV positive, a fact that he did not learn (by choice) until a few years later. Smoak’s diagnosis is compounded with the fact that he is also hemophiliac.

Set in the 1990s along the North Carolina coast, Bleeder traces Smoak’s quest for love in a world that feels increasingly dangerous, and despite a future that feels increasingly uncertain. From the bedroom to the operating room, and from one hospital to the next, Smoak seeks out hope and better health.

Smoak, a poet and novelist, who now teaches at Northern Virginian Community College in Arlington, has written a memoir of his experiences with both diseases, Bleeder.

"Catastrophic Care: How American Health Care Killed My Father - And How We Can Fix It"

Joe Donahue — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 14:35:00 +0000

In the September 2009 issue of the Atlantic, David Goldhill rocked the health-care world with his compelling account of how bureaucratic American health care killed his father. Now, Goldhill is back with a new book expanding on the topic, published by Knopf, entitled Catastrophic Care: How American Health Care Killed My Father--and How We Can Fix It.

"The Day My Brain Exploded: A True Story" by Ashok Rajamani

Joe Donahue — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 15:10:00 +0000

After a full-throttle brain bleed at the age of twenty-five, Ashok Rajamani, a first-generation Indian American, had to relearn everything: how to eat, how to walk and to speak, even things as basic as his sexual orientation.

Vox Pop : Medical Monday with Dr. Paul Lemanski : 12/10/12

Patrick Donges — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 20:31:04 +0000

Dr. Paul Lemanski is founder and director of The Center for Preventive Medicine and Cardiovascular Health, assistant clinical professor of medicine at Albany Medical College, a fellow of the American College of Physicians. WAMC’s Alan Chartock hosts.

The Breast Cancer Survival Manual, Fifth Edition

Joe Donahue — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 15:35:09 +0000

We welcome Dr. John Link to the program and speak with him about The Breast Cancer Survival Manual, Fifth Edition: A Step-by-Step Guide for Women with Newly Diagnosed Breast Cancer.

Scales to Scalpels: Doctors Who Practice the Healing Arts of Music and Medicine

Joe Donahue — Fri, 11 May 2012 14:50:57 +0000

We welcome Lisa Wong and learn about Scales to Scalpels: Doctors Who Practice the Healing Arts of Music and Medicine .

Saratoga Reads - David Lacks and David Lacks Jr.

Joe Donahue — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 20:17:40 +0000

David Lacks and his son, David Lacks Jr., join us to talk about their Saratoga Reads event.

Pharmageddon

Joe Donahue — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 18:06:27 +0000

Joe Donahue speaks with David Healy about his book, Pharmageddon.