Rx For Change

By Adriane Fugh-Berman, MD and Charlea T. Massion, MD  Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). PCOS is another name for “chronic oligoanovulation”—irregular or absent ovulation resulting in  irregular or absent menstruation. PCOS may be associated with ovaries that have multiple cysts; hyperandrogenism (increased DHEA and/or testosterone); excessive facial or body hair (hirsuitism); acne; and weight gain. Diabetes, high ...

By Nancy Worcester and Mariamne Whatley Many women may be surprised to discover that what they know about Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) treatment and what, previously, seemed to serve them well is being questioned and may no longer be recommended. Most UTIs are caused by bacteria and can be treated by antibiotics. Until recently, the identification of ...

Taken from page 10 of the January/February 2019 Newsletter By Adriane Fugh-Berman, MD and Charlea T. Massion, MD  An 83-year- old woman dies on a ventilator in the ICU. She’s been hospitalized for five of the last six months of her life. A 57-year-old woman with recurrent metastatic breast cancer develops cancer-related fluid inside her chest cavity. She ...

By Nancy Worcester and Mariamne Whatley What happened? What’s happening? What can we do about it? Like many women’s health activists, educators, and practitioners, we’ve spent the last two years agonizing over these questions. There have been too many moments when everything we care about and worked for seems to be under attack and each presidential appointment/nomination ...

Taken from Page 10 of the Summer 2018 Newsletter By Adriane Fugh-Berman, MD, and Charlea T. Massion, MD Adriane just had dental surgery and the surgeon provided a prescription for Tylenol with codeine. When she told him that opioids were not better than over-the-counter (OTC) painkillers for dental pain, the surgeon argued, “But it’s such a weak ...

Article taken from page 14 of March/April Newsletter 2018 By Cindy Pearson Legendary journalist Barbara Seaman co-founded the NWHN in 1975, in part due to her investigations into oral contraception’s serious health risks and doctors’ refusal to take women’s complaints seriously. Her work led to Congressional hearings and sparked the revolutionary idea that patients’ have the right ...

Article taken from page 10 of January/February Newsletter 2018 By Adriane Fugh-Berman and Charlea Massion We’ve previously discussed the risks of opioids, and how pharmaceutical companies have encouraged over-prescription of these drugs that has created an opioid addiction epidemic. But what’s a person in pain to do? First of all, drop the idea that opioids are the best ...

Article taken from pages 10-11 of September/October Newsletter 2017 By Adriane Fugh-Berman and Charlea Massion Back when we were in training, more than 30 years ago, opioids were considered dangerous drugs that could cause addiction and life-threatening respiratory depression. Medical students were taught that opioids were very useful for end-of-life pain (especially for cancer, which can cause ...

The EpiPen is an automatic injection device (an “autoinjector”) for administering epinephrine, which can be life-saving for someone who is going into anaphylactic shock as a result of a severe allergic reaction. EpiPens have been available since 1980, but after Mylan Pharmaceuticals acquired the EpiPen from Merck, in 2007, it increased the price of two ...

Article taken from pages 10-11 of May/June Newsletter 2017 By Adrianne Fugh-Berman and Charlea Massion The EpiPen is an automatic injection device (an “autoinjector”) for administering epinephrine, which can be life-saving for someone who is going into anaphylactic shock as a result of a severe allergic reaction. EpiPens have been available since 1980, but after Mylan Pharmaceuticals ...

When I decided to write The Story of Jane, a history of Chicago’s underground, feminist abortion service that operated before Roe v. Wade, I had a few goals in mind: first, the Abortion Counseling service, aka Jane, was an important piece of the women’s movement’s history that needed to be better known. I also thought ...

In 2016, California initiated the End of Life Option Act (EOLOA), becoming the 5th state to legalize medical aid in dying.1 (Colorado became the 6th later that year). California, with its 40 million citizens, may be the tipping point that catalyzes many more states to legalize this choice. The EOLOA allows a mentally capable, terminally ill Californian ...

Article taken from pages 10-11 of January/February Newsletter 2017 By Adrianne Fugh-Berman and Charlea Massion In 2016, California initiated the End of Life Option Act (EOLOA), becoming the 5th state to legalize medical aid in dying. (Colorado became the 6th later that year). California, with its 40 million citizens, may be the tipping point that catalyzes many ...

Article taken from pages 10-11 of September/October Newsletter 2016 Letter by Alice Fox Response by Adrianne Fugh-Berman and Charlea Massion Dear Editor, I am writing as a health care provider, a public health professional and a patient who has been treated (on four separate occasions over decades) for chronic Hepatitis C infection. Drs. Fugh-Berman and Massion are incorrect in ...

Article taken from pages 10-11 of January/February Newsletter 2016 By Adrianne Fugh-Berman and Charlea Massion U.S. drug prices are out of control and unsustainable. We’re the only developed country where public programs cannot negotiate drug prices with pharmaceutical manufacturers; as a result, the U.S. generally pays more for branded prescription drugs than any other country. In ...

Article taken from page 4 of November/December Newsletter 2015 By Adriane Fugh-Berman, MD The myth that menopausal hormone therapy prevents heart attack and dementia should have died a swift death after the definitive results of the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) a dozen years ago.  But the concept that hormones might prevent some disease —in some women, somewhere, ...

Article taken from pages 10-11 of September/October Newsletter 2015 By Adriane Fugh-Berman and Charlea Massion Why is an ovarian cancer treatment that saves women’s lives being underused? Using intraperitoneal (IP) chemotherapy (infusing chemotherapy into the abdomen) along with intravenous chemotherapy (IV chemo, which is infused into veins) dramatically extends lives in women with ovarian cancer. Yet, a ...

Article taken from pages 10-11 of May/june Newsletter 2015 By Adrianne Fugh-Berman and Charlea Massion Ever notice how dinner party hosts estimate portions based on their own appetites? Small eaters may leave their guests hungry; large eaters may have plenty of leftovers. Adriane’s in the latter category; her guests learn to enjoy her food in generous portions, ...

Article taken from pages 10-11 of January/February Newsletter 2015 By Charlea Massion and Adriane Fugh-Berman Happy New Year — how recently have you thought about dying? Do you already have an Advance Directive and designated health care proxy? If so, good work! If not, this column can help you complete one in 2015. As described in renowned ...

Article taken from pages 10-11 of the September/October Newsletter 2014 By Adriane Fugh-Berman and Charlea Massion Diabetics often experience neuropathy (nerve pain or dysfunction); some people with diabetic neuropathy (DN) may be unaware of it because symptoms can be subtle. DN symptoms range from numbness or tingling to severe pain that interferes with daily activities and keeps ...