Pfired but still kicking

Here are three experiments. I don't recommend that you try any of them, but, since we are adults, and presumably still have some free choice about our actions, do as you see fit.Experiment #1
 Purchase a can of pure sodium metal
Go to New York
Stand in front of the Empire State Building
Using a knife, cut the sodium into a cube, roughly one inch per side
Place the cube in your mouth, bite down firmly, making sure that your lips are sealed
Record the results.

OK, #6 is not realistic. You won't be recording any results, but the bomb squad will. Their results will look something like this:

It’s always heartwarming when an elected official jumps on a hot topic, opens his or her yap, at which point very little resembling the truth comes out, and scores a few cheap points with the public. If this makes things worse, hey, no one is perfect. And it sure sounds good on the evening news.The schmuck du jour is Peter Shumlin, the Governor of Vermont. He has a lot to say about narcotic abuse and addiction in his state. So much, in fact, that he is apparently willing to “bend” the truth just a teensy bit. And who would be surprised if he just happened to throw in a bit of irrelevant and incorrect information. After all, and he makes his point rather convincingly. Or does he?

Here at the American Council on Science and Health, we meticulously avoid politics because science, in its purest form, is a quest for the truth while the essence of politics is lying well, preferably without getting caught. And, even if you do get caught, it probably doesn’t matter, since lying is part of the job description.Hence, our mission is, by definition, incompatible with political discussion or debate.This, however, does not mean that if a public figure, elected or not, is using his or her soapbox to spread bad science or medicine, that we won’t go after them. And we do so emphatically, since the bigger the audience that an individual commands, the more harm they can do.

Despite all the hype we hear about revolutionary new approaches to combating cancer, such as genetic analysis of tumors, targeting cell growth pathways, and immunotherapy, the reality is that most cancer patients are still treated with cytotoxic drugs (cell poisons), many of which have been used for more than 50 years.The following table gives examples of commonly used cytotoxic drugs, when they were first used, and how likely they are to cause vomiting:

Every now and then you get a 3-1, 86 mph fastball down the middle of the plate. You just have to swing.This exact pitch was thrown in Washington this week. Not the Nationals. By the Post. They ran a superbly silly story this week entitled  "The dirtiest places on an airplane, ranked." I swung.

It was inevitable.The “Look at me! I can smoke pot legally!” generation has traded in the toast for the toke. Instead of “tying the knot,” they are now “trying the pot.” Want the new couple to kiss? Forget about clinking your glass. Just inhale some gas. Tossing the bouquet? What a waste! If the bride is going to toss something that a bunch of single women will pounce on like a tiger on a baby antelope, it might as well be a brick of cheeba.

In 1985 Michael Hovey, an organic chemist at duPont in Wilmington, Delaware cooked up in his lab a batch of 3-methylfentanyl—a narcotic that is more than 6,000-times stronger than morphine—thus ushering in the era of designer drugs. Hovey's drug, which belongs to a class of drugs called "synthetic heroins," had a street value of $112 million. 

A man goes into a butcher shop to buy some steak.Man: "How much is your steak?"Butcher: "$4.99 a pound."Man:       "That's ridiculous! The butcher across town sells steak for $3.99 a pound!"Butcher: "Then buy it from him."Man:       "I tried, but he's all out."Butcher:  "Well, when I'm out, I'll sell it for $1.99 per pound!"Pretty good joke, but even better when it's applied to what's going on now with generic drug prices. That is, assuming you can figure it out. But, one thing is clear: They are going up, and really fast.

It has been almost a century since scientists at Eli Lilly figured out how to make large quantities of pure insulin. This historical discovery made it possible for the first time to save the lives of diabetics (mostly children). But now, we are witnessing another breakthrough.Although perhaps not as dramatic as the development of insulin, for the first time a hypoglycemic drug has been found to increase life expectancy.

The FDA, following the advice of their advisory panel, voted yesterday to approve Addyi, aka "Female Viagra," or "Pink Viagra." Good move? Bad? Keep reading...

So, I get in a pissy mood once in a while. Before you judge, you try taking the Times Square-Grand Central Station shuttle every day. See what kind of mood you end up in:Then I read something so infuriatingly stupid in the Huffington Post — which is of questionable value even on a good day — that my already-sour disposition headed even further south.

At the risk of missing out on a life experience, I Doubt I'll be trying this stuff anytime soon: