Doris O'Brien is a retired college Speech teacher and banker. She has published two books of humor (Up or Down With Women's Liberation and Humor Me a Little) and for many years contributed light verse to the Pepper 'n Salt column of the Wall Street Journal. She is an avid writer of letters to the editors.
Doris celebrated her 50th wedding anniversary in the same year she welcomed her first grandchild. She now lives in Pasadena with a great view of the San Gabriel mountains — and the annual Tournament of Roses Parade.
She can be reached by e-mail: witsendob at (@) gmail.com
Consumer Reports: Do Americans Take Too Many Prescription Medications? Rushed Into Taking Medications Too Quickly?
More than half of Americans now regularly take a prescription medication — four drugs, on average. 53% of those who take prescription drugs get them from more than one healthcare provider, which increases the risk of adverse drug effects. 35% percent of those taking prescription drugs say a healthcare provider has never reviewed their medicine to see if they can stop any of them. Almost 1.3 million went to US emergency rooms due to adverse drug effects in 2014, and about 124,000 died from those events, according to estimates based on data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration. more »
Congress and FTC: Seniors Fraud Prevention Act of 2017; Illegal Robo Calls; Safe Harbor Program and Collection of Personal Information From Children
This bill [Seniors Fraud Prevention Act of 2017] directs the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to establish an office within the Bureau of Consumer Protection to advise the FTC on the prevention of fraud targeting seniors and to assist the FTC in monitoring the market for mail, television, Internet, telemarketing, and recorded message telephone call (robocall) fraud targeting seniors. The office must: (1) disseminate to seniors and their families and caregivers information on the most common fraud schemes, including methods of reporting complaints either to the FTC's national toll-free telephone number or to the FTC's Consumer Sentinel Network, (2) provide, in response to a specific request about a particular entity or individual, publicly available information regarding the FTC's enforcement action; and (3) maintain a website as a resource for information on fraud targeting seniors. more »
Ferida's Backyard Blog: Whitetail Deer, Tiger Lilies and Adaptable Geese
Ferida Wolff writes: When nature changes, it's not only the geese that must adapt. Temperatures are rising. The ocean is heating up and heading inland, threatening some shore communities and islands. Some areas are becoming parched and fires are more common and difficult to control. Extreme weather patterns are cropping up. Can we change our habits to help minimize the effect of global climate change? Can we recognize the importance of our behavior on nature? Will we need to be as adaptable as Canadian geese? more »
Briefing Summary “Chronic Pain in Women and its Relationship to Opioid Addiction” July 12, 2017
The pharmacological effect is so powerful that it can activate a chain of events that can result in addiction. The main cause of opioid death is when the drug binds to the receptors in the brain stem that control breathing. When the drug manipulates that area it triggers respiratory depression, and an individual can stop breathing. more »
