What I Do as a Medical, Forensic, Occupational, and Environmental Toxicology Expert Witness
Toxicology sits at the intersection of medicine, chemistry, public health, and law. When someone is injured, impaired, poisoned, or dies after an exposure to a drug, chemical, or environmental agent, the central legal question is almost always the same: What actually caused this, and how much did it matter? That is where I come in. […]
Why Measles Is Back– And How We Stop It
Measles is back in the headlines. Outbreaks are popping up in states around the country. If you still think measles is a “disease from the past,” you’re not imagining it. Measles was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000—meaning we stopped having continuous, year-round spread. But “eliminated” doesn’t mean “gone.” It means we only stay […]
Ecstasy Use Increases Dramatically.
As Emergency Departments swell while suffering the repercussions of the Affordable Healthcare Act, our nation’s youth increase their use of mind-altering drugs, in particular, Ecstasy (Mollys). The number of emergency department (ED) visits related to the use of Ecstasy (MDMA) (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) has increased by a staggering 128% in just 6 years, new research shows. Also […]
Statins: A new side effect.
Statins are one of the most popular drugs. They reduce serum lipids implicated in producing cardiac and vascular disease. Statins have side effects and are well-known, such as liver disease and muscle pain. Now a new side effect has been discovered. Statin therapy significantly elevates the risk of developing cataracts severe enough to warrant surgery, […]
Pain Meds Linked to Hypoglycemia.
A popular pain medication called Tramadol (Ultram) has been found to cause serious hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). This adverse reaction is potentially fatal. Tramadol is not a narcotic. It is used in lieu of narcotics. The study can be found in JAMA. JAMA Intern Med. Published online December 8, 2014. The authors of the study […]
New Synthetic Hallucinogens.
A novel class of synthetic hallucinogens that is being sold as a cheaper, more readily available LSD substitute, or even as LSD itself, is emerging as a particularly deadly drug, especially for young males, new research shows. A recent paper was published discussing the advent of this new class of drug. See: American Academy […]
5 Ways to Improve Our Medical Liability System.
by: Brian S. Kern, JD Some Steps Toward Tort Reform As healthcare delivery evolves, the medical professional liability tort system largely remains static. Judges and trial attorneys are forced to navigate endlessly complex rules and legal theories to achieve a simple end: compensating injured patients. Assuming that the United States is not going to move to […]
Breaking News: EMA suspends dozens of Drugs based on Flawed Studies.
A committee of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has just a few days ago recommended suspending the sale of roughly four dozen generic drugs that are used for conditions including diabetes, depression, and hypertension because they noted that their approvals were based on flawed clinical studies conducted only in India. The US Food and Drug […]
Sunscreen Dangers.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is proposing to prevent two sunscreen ingredients from entering the US market unless the manufacturers can provide new data proving safety and effectiveness. The agency published its proposal on February 25 in the Federal Register . The two ingredients — ecamsule and enzacamene — were among eight ingredients that the agency has […]
Powdered Alcohol: Is it harmful?.
Powdered alcohol is now here. This marks the beginning of an entirely new problem for toxicologists. The key question is: Powdered Alcohol–Is is harmful? Several experts have weighed in on this and have offered up their opinions. Below is a sampling of these opinions. Substance abuse experts are concerned about the imminent availability of powdered […]