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Craig Bowron

St. Paul, MN
Commenter for
5 years 13 weeks

Recent Comments

Posted on 10/23/08 at 11:50 pm in response to Vitamin D nears superstar status, as few get enough

Mr. McGurt, you're correct: there's plenty to be skeptical about in medicine. However, the vitamin D story is a bit unusual, in that it's a "drug" that is neither owned nor patented. Hence there is no pharmaceutical company clawing at the FDA's door for approval, or bankrolling large clinical trials. I'm not saying there aren't ties, but the lower profit margins make this story more science than hooplah.
Mr. Simon, you're correct as well. Public health seems to come with a lot of...

Posted on 08/09/08 at 10:59 am in response to Measles report: Why we still need vaccines

Thank you, Lisa Randall, for coming to my defense. I agree with your thoughts, and indeed, it would have helped to clarify that the 10-month-old was too young to be vaccinated (the first MMR shot comes at 12-15 months of age).

The purpose of this post was to remind readers that the measles has been forgotten, not eradicated; that this serious and potentially lethal infection remains quite common worldwide, including in developed countries where immunization levels have fallen.

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Posted on 05/01/08 at 01:36 pm in response to Daily Show confirms St. Paul stint; how to get tix

On way you could ease my pain is if you part with some of the MinnPost corporate sky box tickets to the event.

Posted on 05/01/08 at 12:57 pm in response to Daily Show confirms St. Paul stint; how to get tix

And I BELIEVED you David! This hurts.

Posted on 04/08/08 at 09:16 pm in response to More head-scratching with latest Zetia study

Without having read the referenced Tara Parker Pope piece, I would guess that it's "Big-Pharma" that's educating doctors. I refrain from interactions with drug reps, but seeing as more and more medical research is being sponsored by the medical industry, it's hard to avoid their influence.

As for Mr Olson, I sympathize with the vertiginous feeling you get from trying to keep track of what drugs are and are not healthy to take. If you're not overweight, don't smoke, eat reasonably well...

Posted on 02/19/08 at 01:07 pm in response to Dr. Jarvik isn't the best prescription for Lipitor ads

Your points are well taken Mr. Brill.
It's a complicated subject, for sure,but the question is, who do the pharmaceutical companies serve? Patients or shareholders? Marketing tends to be oriented to shareholders (are there thousands of impotent men out there who don't know there's a pill for their problem; or are the companies just trolling for more business?). And R+D tends to be more patient focused (what medical ailment is in need of a cure?). I have an MD, not an MBA, but my...