A Linguist’s response to the film Arrival There’s been some hype about the new film Arrival, and some newfound attention to the field of linguistics. Rather than point out all of the inevitable liberty-taking that comes with projecting an everyday life onto the big screen, I wanted to show my appreciation. And the way I’m…
The “opioid epidemic” is a growing problem in the United States. The state of Virginia declared a public health emergency relating to abuse of such substances, Google search data shows a higher rate of searches for the heroin treatment Suboxone than for any other prescription drug in the US, and new articles and studies are…
Very few people saw this coming. You could argue that undecided, silent voters are to blame, or maybe it’s the “overconfidence” of the Democratic party. Sure, those were factors, but it could also be a bit of a chicken and egg phenomenon, as the Dems certainly had confidence in part due to the consistent lead…
When we talk about the drug pipeline, we’re talking about the future. Pipeline drugs are often the newest medical advancements that scientists are still in the process of testing for safety or efficacy. As doctors can’t generally prescribe pipeline drugs, I wasn’t expecting them to come up very often in in-office dialogues. But as I’ve…
The impending return of AMC’s The Walking Dead on October 23rd, with its portrayal of flesh-eating, swarming zombies, or “walkers” as they’ve been coined, has me thinking about how we use that term in our daily lives. Or more specifically, what do patients and physicians actually mean when they say “like a zombie”? Because hopefully…
With the first two debates in the books and a third fast approaching, you may be thinking to yourself: “I don’t care for either one of those people.” You most likely wouldn’t be alone. The undecided voter gained a face with Ken Bone during an earlier presidential debate, but what do others say? We checked…
Sure, drug development and marketing are part of a standard business model in our country, particularly with massive funding toward leveraging marketing to drive product profitability. But according to a piece published on FiercePharma last year, most Pharma companies likely don’t spend more money on marketing than research and development. When you consider business operations, as part…
What is the “magic pill”? Does it exist? The (very) short answer is no. But don’t worry- “miracle pills” might! So what’s the difference between a magic pill and a miracle pill, and how do doctors and patients feel about them?